Radiant Barrier Insulation: Where And How Is It Used?
A newer type of insulation product that is being increasingly used is radiant barrier insulation. Radiant barrier insulation products operate on a different principle from that of traditional insulating materials -- they reflect heat energy away, rather than trying to trap, or insulate, generated heat energy (for example, as a layer of fiberglass insulation would). What are some of the ways in which radiant barrier insulation products are used? Well, one major area of application is in homes and apartment residences. Often times radiant barrier insulation is applied in strategic locations such as roofs and attics, or along the interior wall cavities, during the construction of a new home -- simply because it is easier and cheaper to install radiant barrier insulation at that time rather than later on. In addition, radiant barrier installation can be installed around water heaters, around plumbing (water pipes) as well as other areas in a home. Radiant barrier insulation is often commonly used in industrial or commercial construction -- buildings constructed largely of metal are a good example, or the installation of radiant barrier insulation on water pipeline systems, or air conditioning or furnace duct work -- in fact, if you were to take apart any large-scale building HVAC system, you would discover the extensive use of radiant barrier insulation. An interesting use of radiant barrier insulation is found in the agricultural field. Farmers who own livestock, for example, will have radiant barrier insulation installed to trap and reflect body heat from their animals in order to keep them warm in barns during the colder months of the year. Dairy farms, horse corrals, poultry coops -- all can benefit from the use of radiant barrier insulation. In addition to these uses, radiant barrier insulation is widely used as a packaging material, as covers for shipping pallets, for protective packaging on computer components, and for insulating high heat-generating components in trucks, automobiles, and airplanes. It is also extensively used in the construction of various types of recreational vehicles, as it provides a high degree of insulation yet is extremely lightweight and not bulky at all -- and this is especially important with recreational vehicles, where space is at a premium. It is important to remember that any radiant barrier insulation product is designed to work primarily by reflecting heat energy away. For this reason your radiant barrier insulation products should be installed so that the metal foil is facing into an available space of air. If you install your radiant barrier insulation tightly sandwiched between two other materials -- for example, between your roof shingles and your roofing sheathing, there will be no air space, and without an air space in the metal foil backing will act as an energy conductor -- and you will lose any potential insulating benefit. Also, the accumulation of dust on the foil surface will reduce, over time, the ability of your radiant barrier insulation product to reflect heat energy away -- so you should install this type of insulation so that dust cannot accumulate on its surface. In some locations this means installing it 'upside-down'. |
