Adding reflective insulation in your home is vital in controlling your energy costs.

Incorporating reflective insulation with your existing insulations will reduce your energy bills in the winter and summer. All new homes should include reflective insulation as part of the total insulation system. Each unit of radiant heat energy that is reflected away from your building by the radiant barrier in summer, and each unit reflected back in during winter, means less operation of your heating and air conditioning systems, less wear and tear on your equipment, and lower utility costs. Reflective insulation is used either by itself or in conjunction with other kinds of insulation where convective heat loss is greatest - particularly in the attic. Reflective insulation is impermeable to water vapor and will create a vapor retarder to protect wood and bulk insulation from mold, mildew and fungus growth when properly installed.

 The DOE Insulation Fact Sheet lists adequate attic insulation as the top insulation priority. "It is most important to:

• Use the recommended levels of insulation for exterior walls for new home construction. When remodeling or re-siding your house, consider using the levels recommended for new construction in your existing walls."
• Insulate your attic to the recommended level, including the attic door, or hatch cover.
• Provide the recommended level of insulation under floors above unheated spaces, around walls in a heated basement or unventilated crawl space, and on the edges of slabs-on-grade.

• on the crawlspace floor for a vapor and radon barrier
• in the garage including the garage door
• around ductwork
• around the hot water heating system
• home wrap
• the attic including the attic door
• the roof over a heated attic or cathedral ceiling
• floors over a crawlspace or unheated basement
• walls in a heated basement
• under the basement slab for a vapor and radon barrier

Home Insulation System 

There are two types of home insulations - Bulk Insulation (blankets, batts, foam, and cellulose) and Reflective Insulation. Most homes use a combination of both types to make up a total building insulation system that will effectively resist the three forms of building heat transfer - conduction, convection, and radiation.

Rigid foam and reflective insulation are commonly used together in a cathedral ceiling to provide a complete insulation system as shown in the following illustration.

Similar combination systems can be used in cavity walls, attic, basement and floors to achieve the greatest insulation efficiency.

Air infiltration control - Whole home wrap

One of the primary reasons to use insulation is to keep both hot and cold air outside. Leaks in the exterior of the house will allow outside air to migrate inside thereby causing your heating and air conditioning systems to work harder to maintain a constant indoor temperature. Reflective insulation as whole house wrap is used under metal, vinyl, wood and cement plank siding to seal the house against outside air infiltration. Reflective insulation can double as both a radiant barrier and a house wrap in one product. Click for a vapor barrier reflective home warp. Click for a perforated (non-vapor barrier home wrap).

Insulation wraps are the first line of protection from vapor. Installation of a vapor barrier, or vapor diffusion retarder, is a key part of the moisture control strategy for a home. The main purpose of a vapor barrier is to keep moisture from getting inside your walls. Moisture and condensation inside walls can cause wood rot, mold, mildew and fungus growth. Installing a vapor barrier provides a physical shield to repel moisture. In addition to its properties as a radiant barrier, reflective insulation is can be used effectively as a vapor barrier. Proper installation of waterproof reflective insulation will reduce or eliminate condensation. Reflective insulation is non-absorbent and does not mildew or promote fungus growth.

Costs

In a typical home, 35 percent of heating energy is lost through walls, 30 percent through the roof, 20 percent through windows, and 15 percent through doors and floors. The cost of insulation is usually measured by the time to payback the initial cost of installation through energy savings. In a broader sense, the cost can also include costs to human health and the environment for the production and consumption of unnecessary energy used to heat and cool homes that are insufficiently insulated.

Payback can be calculated by dividing the initial cost of insulation and installation by the annual amount of savings in energy costs. Most manufacturers and agencies estimate an average payback time on any insulation job between 5 and 6 years.

The best time to add additional insulation is during home renovation. Retrofit projects like adding a radiant barrier to the attic rafters give the biggest savings and are the easiest retrofits. Larger renovation projects like replacing the roof or the siding are also good opportunities to add reflective building insulation as a radiant barrier.

Contractors

Proper installation is the key to achieving the goals of the insulation system in terms of temperature control, energy efficiency and moisture control. Use a qualified contractor. Check for membership in industry associations like ICAA, Insulation Contractor`s Association of America. They have the latest information on Federal Tax Credits and State Tax energy incentives. There are also numerous regional insulation contractor`s organizations.
 

National Insulation Contractors Associations

ICAA - Insulation Contractors Association of America
www.insulate.org

NIA - National Insulation Association
http://www.insulation.org