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Foil type Multi Layer Insulation in your home?

Cranky

Cranky

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Anyone have this stuff in their attics and notice a difference in cooling/heating costs? Many of the products advertises up to 50% HVAC duct and HVAC system efficiency and yada yada yada. Time to find out if it's worth even messing with. One company is advertising a paint for the areas where you can't install the barrier like in a cathedral ceiling where the rafters are the ceiling support....
 
Cranky said:
Anyone have this stuff in their attics and notice a difference in cooling/heating costs? Many of the products advertises up to 50% HVAC duct and HVAC system efficiency and yada yada yada. Time to find out if it's worth even messing with. One company is advertising a paint for the areas where you can't install the barrier like in a cathedral ceiling where the rafters are the ceiling support....
Click to expand...

They sell this product at Lowes. It is the same composition as the duct work insulation they used in my area of New Jersey, now they are using a larger bubble type for the duct work.
I use it between the rafters in my attic space, it helps to cut down on heating and cooling costs a little.
Here is a link to the Lowes site Reflectix R-21 33.3-sq ft Unfaced Reflective Roll Insulation (16-in W x 25-ft L) in the Roll Insulation department at Lowes.com
 
I can't say? There's so many gimmicks these days with everyone thinking GREEN that I wonder if some of it is a load of feel good BS. Around here bubble wrap has been a craze, put it under your slab, under your metal roof, etc.. I don't buy it. R ratings come from being able to trap air which is why good insulating materials are extremely porous, the more you can trap the better your rating, outside of that it's sealing out drafts? As far as foil goes, wouldn't the advantage of reflective materials only matter when there's sun to reflect?

I still rely on thick insulation whether it's foam board, fiberglass, blow in, etc and the use of house wrap. If I wanted to save on energy in my attic I'd blow more insulation in. Just my thoughts, I'm skeptical on some of this stuff.
 
747mopar said:
As far as foil goes, wouldn't the advantage of reflective materials only matter when there's sun to reflect?
Click to expand...
That's the same thought I had!! In the presentation, they set up two heat lamps with one shining on regular insulation and another shining on insulation with the foil stuff on top of it and then show temp readings on the bottom of both. Well duh. The sun isn't shining inside my attic!
 
I'm surprised no one's mentioned a attic fan, even though that's not what you asked about. The neighbor I had in CA. installed one of those whirligig types and it made a ton of difference on the AC bill. It would seem more energy efficient to get the hot air out instead of insulating to hold it in. Heat naturally seeks out the cold so it'll just come through the ceiling. Good Luck
 
I'm an Architect and work with a lot of products related to roofing. Sales guys are in the office all the time with the next greatest thing since fire . The best thing to reduce your heating and cooling cost is to properly insulate the crap out of your ceiling / attic AND have proper ventilation at your roof eves and at the top. A lot of insulation and no air flow will not help if the heat and moisture can't get out. As 69a100 noted the power vents are great for getting the air out of the attic or a whole house attic fan that draws air thru your house into the attic that then pushes the hot air out of the attic.

These reflective barriers will reduce the radiant heat from the roof a lot on a sunny day as noted above. We have a walk up attic and I can go in it on a 85 deg day with and without the sun out and much cooler on a cloudy day. If you have good air movement it will take care of the heat and you will be fine. The radiant barriers will help by reducing the radiant heat on sunny days, but by how much I have not been able to able to determine. Thought of putting in our house but ditched the idea since it seemed to be a lot or effort for unknown return for the $.
 
Cranky said:
Anyone have this stuff in their attics and notice a difference in cooling/heating costs? Many of the products

advertises up to 50% HVAC duct and HVAC system efficiency and yada yada yada. Time to find out if it's worth even messing with. One company is advertising a paint for the areas where you can't install the barrier like in a cathedral ceiling where the rafters are the ceiling support....
Click to expand...
claims are just that a claim…
It’s like the weather ,.,
50% Sunny
Or…
50% Partly Cloudy
Pick one… simple …
But …
Radiant Barrier Tech .
Is 100% On The Munny Hunny!
Do The Math yourself…
Anytime You Can Reflect Part
Of the Radiant Gain into you’re attic it Pays Dividends !!!
Living in the Desert where 120
Degrees is Common … yep !
And…
The UV can give you a sunburn in less than 15 minutes !
Yep !!
Many Builders Do Exactly That
As part of the energy efficiency packages , makes perfect sense !
PS
Don’t you use the best lubricants
In your HotRod ?????
Really !
You mean you don’t take it to
IFFY LUBE when U need an oil
change ????
Get the drift !
Ultimately do What U Want !
Mopar2ya!!!
John
 
Most new homes are built with a foil layer on the bottom of the roofing plywood (osb). Mine has it, don’t know if it does anything. Also an attic fan helps, especially if ya can get one on both sides of the house, they are thermostatically controlled. I had 2 on our last house, once they hit 105 and then the other, 108, they came on and ran till the temp was lower than preset. Whirlybirds work well, but with all the stuff going through the roof, why add another hole?
 
We had a house that the master bedroom was half over the garage. In the summer the ac wouldn't keep up so we added the reflective foil in the area in the garage that went under the 2nd story and also did the attic. It wasn't real pretty on the garage ceiling but It did help. We could tell the difference and our cooling bill went down some. If you can do it yourself I think it would easily be worth it. I was told that the effectiveness is not a good as the reflective material gets dirty over time, there is really no way practical to keep it clean in the attic, I don't think I would do a attic again with it.. The garage ceiling did help in our application where the garage was under the 2nd story. It was easy to keep clean and we could feel the difference . On the hottest days when the ac was at its max our bedroom did not get as hot.
 
Call the local insulation guy, you'd probably get better results from the sealing off leaks you already have like around can lights and such.
If they send a sales guy, call a different place.
We had our attic done last summer and sprayfoamed the basement this winter.
Made a huge difference. I hate contractors but this guy was awesome and it's a tax write off.
 
spray foam is your best bet seals and insulates, they use it in about all new homes and remodeling, it's around 1.50 per sq. ft. they make a fire retardent style when your not covering it with drywall etc., I'm sure its more. I've been seeing alot of it being sprayed on basement walls lately to meet the newer michigan energy codes. the ticket is sealing out drafts cold or hot. been in construction for 35 years best insulating product I've ever dealt with
 
Don selleck said:
spray foam is your best bet seals and insulates, they use it in about all new homes and remodeling, it's around 1.50 per sq. ft. they make a fire retardent style when your not covering it with drywall etc., I'm sure its more. I've been seeing alot of it being sprayed on basement walls lately to meet the newer michigan energy codes. the ticket is sealing out drafts cold or hot. been in construction for 35 years best insulating product I've ever dealt with
Click to expand...
Agreed. My brother in law had his house done when he built it so I got to see it before any drywall was hung, pretty impressive. Unfortunately it's insanely expensive at least around here. Hopefully as more companies jump in to offer it the prices will get driven down.
 
My new home is mostly spray foam and extra thick in the attic. Gable end vents and ridge cap vents with a thicker layer in the attic is all that is needed. Fans are fine, but if your attic is insulated enough to keep the heat or cold in the house and you have enough vents to get rid of the air in the attic, you'll be fine. An attic is not part of the inside, it's part of the outside and should be treated that way. Just my opinion.
 
69a100 said:
I'm surprised no one's mentioned a attic fan, even though that's not what you asked about. The neighbor I had in CA. installed one of those whirligig types and it made a ton of difference on the AC bill. It would seem more energy efficient to get the hot air out instead of insulating to hold it in. Heat naturally seeks out the cold so it'll just come through the ceiling. Good Luck
Click to expand...
Years ago in my 1st house, my dad and I installed a large attic fan in the ceiling just off the kitchen and hallway leading to the bedrooms. This was a few years before we had A/C. That fan worked great to cool the house down in a matter of minutes.
 
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