Most orders arrive within 3-6 business days via UPS Ground

Top Radiant Barrier Facts

Looking for a quick overview of the most important radiant barrier facts to separate fact from myth?  Below are the top radiant barrier facts to help get you started.  Want more info? See our Radiant Barrier FAQs.

  • RadiantGUARD® radiant barriersBLOCK 97% of the radiant heat, almost30% MORE heat than the best reflective paint. Read more about reflectiveradiant barrier paint.
  • Radiant barriers do NOT have R-Values butDO increase the R-Value of your existing insulation if already in place. Read more about radiant barrier andinsulation r-values.
  • Radiant barriersMUST have at least a 3/4" air space on at least one side for them to be effective via the properties of reflectivity and/or emissivity. You cannot lay a radiant barrier on top of roof decking and then simply cover with further roofing materials like felt or shingles. Read more abouthow radiant barriers work and installation techniques.
  • When installing a radiant barrier on the attic floor, youMUST use a perforated radiant barrier to allow moisture laden air to pass from your living space through the barrier and out the attic avoiding condensation. Read more aboutperforated radiant barriers.
  • Radiant barriersdo NOT accelerate degradation of roof materials nor negate shingle warranties. Read more aboutradiant barriers and shingle temperatures.
  • Dust accumulation on a double-sided radiant barrier laid over the attic floor will affect the performance of the radiant barrier but performance will "not degrade nearly as much as would be expected from the significant increases in emissivity caused by small amounts of dust."Read more about dust accumulation on radiant barriers (summary of conclusion is on page two).
Rhonda Franklin is a managing partner of RadiantGUARD. With a passion for educating others, Rhonda brings 20 years of experience in the reflective insulation industry with a drive to explain benefits and best practices in easy and understandable ways. In her free time, Rhonda enjoys mentoring high school young women as a small group leader in the Student Ministry at Frisco Bible Church in Frisco, Texas.

Because radiant barriers redirect radiant heat back through the roof, it's logical to think your roof will get hotter and damage your shingles or void your shingle warranties.  But don't despair, radiant barrier don't harm roofing materials or void shingle warranties.

R-Values for double bubble insulation products vary based on the thickness of the overall product itself. Most double bubble insulation products have an average R-Value of 1. But you can achieve a much higher R-Value for your application by the addition of enclosed dead air spaces. However, double bubble insulation shines in applications where radiant heat transfer needs to be controlled and therefore, reflectivity is a much better indicator of a double bubble insulation products effectiveness than its R-Value.

Winter will be here before you know it and that means you need to be prepared for snow and ice and the potentially damaging effects it can have on your residential home. 

While the visual effects of an ice dam are undeniably beautiful, the physical effects to your roofing system can be extremely damaging to a roof, gutters, paint, drywall, and your underlying framing structure.  This damage can also eventually lead to the growth of dangerous molds.

While researching radiant barrier insulation online, many consumers are coming across paint products erroneously marketed as radiant barrier paint which are intended to be sprayed to the underside of the roof rafters to lower the emittance of radiant heat from the roof decking into the attic space.  While these products do help to lower the amount of heat that radiates into the attic space, the use of the termradiant barrier paintis false advertising and these products don't offer near the protection against radiant heat as a radiant barrier foil insulation product.

Search