Energy Savings with Radiant Heat Barriers
Foil Barrier products that carry the Energy Star logo are provided by Innovative Insulation, Inc.
Consumers are less concerned about how energy barriers work than they are about their effect on utility bills. This is much less than the 97 percent reduction in attic radiant heat flow because other forms of heat flow contribute to the total cooling (or heating) load. Data can expect to vary with region. The following data provided by The Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, Tennessee on Performance Testing of Radiant Barriersdemonstrates the economic savings possible for a typical home:
- All the Radiant Barrier configurations yielded sizable percent savings (17 percent, based on ENERGY STAR Evaluation) and statistically significant reductions in summer attic heat transfer compared to the non-RB case. Also, as the ambient temperature increases, the savings also increase.
- The RB on top was the best summer performer. It consistently showed heat flux reductions compared to the non-RB case of about 40 percent for almost all ambient temperatures and even showed savings (17 percent) during mild temperature and night summer conditions.
- The RB configurations provide statistically significant reductions in winter attic heat fluxes in many, but not all, situations. The percent savings during night hours and during below 35° conditions, when heating loads are the highest, are usually sizable (from 6 to 23 percent) and the differences between the RB configurations and the non-RB case are often statistically significant during these conditions.