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How Efficient are Radiant Heat Barrier in Saving Energy

As the climatic conditions are changing with the time due to various ecological changes like global warming, increase in pollution, smog, dust, etc., the demand of a barrier between an exterior and interior spaces increases. People are looking for different techniques that can be helpful in reducing the consumption of energy and provide highly efficient thermal insulation.

Radiant barriers or reflective insulation materials provide cooling effective during hot climate. Without the proper attic insulation or roof insulation materials, solar heat will transfer to the living spaces and will make discomfort to you. Of course, you can have Air Conditioners in your homes but that is only going to consume energy and add to your utility billings.

Thus, radiant barriers are the perfect solution to fight with the hot climatic conditions and have a cooler environment in your home or work space. But how much they are effective and how it works? We are going to learn in this article.

How Radiant Barrier Work?

Radiant heat transfer is the most dominating mode among three heat transfer mode i.e. Conduction, Convection, and Radiation. It is the transmission of the electromagnetic rays through space to your living space. The rays are commonly infrared rays and their origin is the sun.

Radiant barrier is consist of reflective sheets, generally aluminum and non-toxic light-weighted material which is easy to handle and install. Usually, radiant barrier alone is inefficient to provide a high-quality insulation. Thus, they make a part of a large assembly which consist of other roof insulation or attic insulation materials like foam, fiberglass or cellulose.

Radiant barriers are reflective and light-color coated roofing sheets insulation materials that solve the purpose of overheating in the house. They are applied to either on the existing insulation or under the roof surface. Radiant barriers reduce the heat transfer and 95% of the radiant heat that directly fall on the roof surface during daytime.

To block or reflect the heat energy radiant barrier utilizes to physical properties of aluminum, they are:

Reflectivity:

Aluminum or any reflective surface sends back or reflect the rays striking to their surface back to space. Thus, blocking 95% of heat rays to enter your living space.

Emissivity:

The emissivity of a material is the effectiveness of radiating its energy as thermal radiation. In simple terms, radiant barrier’s own heat. Radiant materials should have a low range of emissivity, generally ranging from 0.1 or less. In general, low emissivity property of a reflective surface that is facing an air space results in low emittance of heat from the surface of the material.

 

 Factors to remember before installing a radiant barrier

Implementing a radiant barrier in your building is surely advantageous but to enhance the effectiveness of the radiant barrier insulation, you need to analyze a few parameters. Here are some factors that can boost the cooling effect in your building.

  1. Type of existing insulation:

    A good insulation has R-value. If your insulation has high R-value then it is referred to be as efficient insulation material. If your roof or attic is already insulated earlier with a high value of the material, like R-30 then your radiant barrier will block major heat transfer. However, if R-value is below R-30 then 40% reduction in roof or attic heat will transfer through radiant barriers.

  2. Demographic location:

    A major factor that decides the effectiveness of your radiant barrier is the location where you live. If you live in hot climatic conditions, then you will immediately notice the cost cuttings in your energy consumption and your radiant barrier will work efficiently. Although radiant barrier works in cold weather to maintain the heat inside the room, however, it will not be effective as its major strength is noticeable in the hot climatic condition.

  3. Air Space:

    Radiant barriers must have at least one air space of minimum 3/4th of an inch on either side. Airspace is necessary to block the conductive heat transfer. If there is no air space then conductive heat transfer will take place from the surface touching the radiant barrier. Thus, it is a MUST to have an air space.

Application of radiant barriers

There are many applications of radiant barriers in providing efficient thermal insulation at a different place.

 Space Exploration:

To protect the spacecraft, astronauts, and equipment from thermal radiations in the pace.

Window Treatments:

To attain a low emissivity, window glasses are coated with radiant barriers.

Roof and Attic Insulation:

Radiant barriers enhance the thermal insulation in the living space and offer a comfortable space.

 

Conclusion

Thermal insulation can be achieved through various approaches depending on the demand of the climatic conditions, requirements, the position of installation and thermal insulation materials availability. Radiant barriers work well along with other insulation materials to obtain a high degree of thermal stability in your building.

It is important that before taking any step towards installing radiant barriers, take an advice from the thermal insulation contractors or suppliers in India, to gain potential knowledge about the best-fitted solution for your building.

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Why Should You Insulate Basement of Your House? Pros and Cons

When we talk about basements, the first thing that strikes in the mind is “Store Room”. A place to keep all used or unwanted or occasionally used items. We find basement not so important to give it an extra care or invest an extra cent to maintain it. Moreover, we never ponder on a thought to insulate the basement, are we?

But after reading this blog, we assure that you will again give a second thought on insulating your basement. Do you know that discriminating or taking a chance with proper insulation of your basement can cost you heavily?  What if we tell you that basement insulation actually improves the overall energy efficiency of your home! It also reduces consumption of energy, eliminates moisture retention on the walls and roofs.

So, let’s understand how we can manage our house thermal stability with the help of thermal insulation.

Basement Insulation

Basement insulation is not a rocket science but a proven skillful thermal insulation technique to implement high-quality thermal insulation material evenly on the desired area. The current buildings are having inbuilt thermal insulated basements. However, the already existing buildings are required to opt these energy-efficient approaches to insulate their basements.

Here are some questions to ask before insulating basement to give an affirmative response to your queries related to the insulation of the basement.

  • What is the state of your house thermal stability? You need to have a home energy audit to get an idea of the exact thermal insulation required in your home to save energy consumption.
  • If you have existing insulation, then what is the R-value of it? R-value is the measure of the capabilities of an object to resist the heat flow. The thermal insulation materials are present in various density and thickness. The more the thickness the better the thermal insulation.

It is obvious with the fact that there is a significant amount of air leakage through the walls, roofs, ceilings, vents, etc. Maintaining the thermal condition inside the house during the winter is difficult because heat travels from higher temperature to lower temperature. Basement being at the lower temperature condition, the heat travels from the rooms which are cozy and are at a high temperature. Thus, it becomes utmost important to insulate the basement with a high-quality thermal insulating material.

Which Part to Insulate in the Basement?

There are three major places where insulation is effective: exterior wall, interior walls, and ceilings. The best insulation placement depends on how the basement is used, also it depends on if the building is already existing or you are constructing a new building. However, you can use a combination of insulation to get the best result.

  • Wall insulation: Wall insulation is the most vital part of the basement insulation because the maximum amount of heat is transferred through walls, especially if your surrounding climatic conditions are colder in the winter season.
  • Ceiling insulation: A general way to insulate the ceiling of your building’s basement is fiberglass bat insulation. It will make the space in the basement much warmer and thermally stable.
  • Floor insulation: When we start constructing a building, we make sure that the foundation is strong and don’t allow any kind of leakage in the building. Moisture retention can be a major issue if the floor is lacking proper insulation. Thus, insulation contractors in India recommend floor insulation for the existing buildings and also for the buildings that are under construction.

Pros of Basement Insulation

–    Maintain Thermal Stability:

Insulation prevents air leakage and heat transfer. It boosts comfort and helps in cost cutting of the utility bills.

–    Control Moisture:

Moisture enters through the ground and foundation. This moisture gets trap in the basement due to lack of proper ventilation. Thus, a simple SPF foam sprayed onto inside wall can prevent moisture intrusion. For exterior insulation, fiberglass is the first choice.

–    Prevents Freezing of Water Pipes:

Areas where mercury drops frequently, water pipes get frozen easily in the basements. Thus, basement insulation is the best and cost-effective solution.

–    Reduces Energy Consumption:

When you insulate the basement, there is no place for heat to escape. Thus, maintains the desired temperature in the building which further cut down the energy consumption during variable climatic conditions.

Cons of Basement Insulation

  • Cost of Installation:

    The cost is a variable quantity, highly depending on the type of thermal insulation material and the area (dimensions) required to insulate. However, the maintenance cost is 100% more than the initial cost of installation.

  • Degradation of Exterior Insulation:

    The most common reason for the destruction or degradation of the external wall installation is insect infestation. Because of the direct contact to the external surrounding, insulation is highly susceptible to degradation.

  • Improper installation:

    If the insulation contractor or agency is not having proper experience then, there will be loopholes in insulating your building. Thus, choose wisely a thermal insulation contractor to get the best services.

Conclusion

Basement insulation is surely an important factor to consider while insulating other parts of the building and especially if that building is your comfy house. You might think that thermal insulation is a costly approach or investment but if you are in a construction phase then it will not cost you much compared to the other investments. It surely enhances the lifespan of the building and reduces the post-maintenance costs. Live comfortably and save your energy consumption to reduce your expenses.

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