We understand how important customer reviews are when making a purchasing consideration and that is why we DO NOT financially influence our customers to write customer reviews of our radiant barrier and reflective insulation products. All our reviews are from actual RadiantGUARD® customers that did not benefit from submitting their reviews.
Our summers are HOT in Sacramento CA. We get many 100 degree days plus some of these days are back to back. I really was tired on not having a house that was comfortable and having "HIGH" electric bills. I had thought my only solution would be to upgrade to a high efficient system ($$$) and spend lots more ($$$) on traditional attic insulation.
I often have thought how I could modify or retrofit my house to make it become much more energy efficient without breaking the bank. I was never satisfied with the solutions and costs.
I've been an HVAC tech for over 24 years. My house is an older single story with very little attic insulation and a darker colored roof. I have a 14 year old split gas electric heating and cooling system. I do have it tuned up and running at optimal performance for its age with a couple of enhancements. I did add to 2 attic fans before installing Radiant Guard, which did not help even setting them low to 85 to cycle on.
Before my Radiant Guard installation my older A/C system would run almost non-stop from 10:00am to 11:30pm if I set the thermostat to 75 on 100+ days. The temp inside would gradually increase to 81-83 through the day depending how much over a 100 it could be that day. These are my results, yours may vary.
After the Radiant Guard installation my system won't usually come on until noon or sometimes even after 1:00pm and now cycles at least 20-35 minutes every hour I run it even if I set my indoor temperature at 76 degrees on a 100 degree day. It will hold my house at that indoor temperature, just amazing!!!
After that I experimented on the next HOT day (108) and set my indoor temp to 72 in the morning to see if it could do maintain that temperature with this product and it held it all day. That's 36 degrees difference from inside to outside, Amazing!!! There were a couple hours were it ran non-stop, but still I used less electricity that day compared to before Radiant Guard was installed on a similar day and outdoor temperature scenario. Did I say that's Amazing!!!
I also noticed something very different after I installed Radiant Guard which had to do with my indoor night time temperature swing. After running the indoor temperate down to 70 degrees, (I like it nice and cool for sleeping) my unit would cycle off for the night and in the morning my thermostat would read only a drop 1 to 2 degrees cooler than 70 on which it was set at. Outdoor temperatures at night might drop to the high 50's sometimes or in the low 60's in the summer usually. This tells me that this product should work well this coming winter. My attic temperatures are lower now and my attic cools off quicker too.
I've had this product installed for over 3 1/2 months now. These are my electric bill results. First month, April was 26% savings compared to last year same month. Second month, May was 29% savings compared to last year same month. The third month, June to was the shocker, 48% savings based on same month last year, WOW!!! My house now feels like a home to me. I get up in the mornings smiling now knowing my house has the (RGA) Radiant Guard Advantage and will keep me and my family comfortable on the hottest summer days.
It is my opinion that I could have spent thousands adding two layers of R39 attic insulation and even more on a newer high efficiency central heat and air conditioning system and would "have not" gotten the same performance to price result that Radiant Guard has given me with my old system. I will upgrade my HVAC system someday. I do not know of any another product that could have this performance to price comparison. Just Amazing!!! I would highly recommend it. I'm very satisfied now!
Why did I pick Radiant Guard? They listed the pricing up front on there site. Reasonable shipping cost for the weight and size of material. Also, the customer feedback that had been left on the site. A flawless transaction for me...
Mike
Sacramento, CA
Just to let you know, I installed you product on top the attic insulation, and noticed an immediate drop in temperature on the second floor of my townhouse which I have never been able to cool properly.
I am very pleased with you product, and have told others of how well this simple inexpensive product work.
I hope you notice an increase in business in the Buffalo N.Y. area
Jim E.
Orchard Park, NY
Wanted to let you know that I installed this over the 4th of July weekend and it has already paid for itself I think!!!!
What a wondrously "forgiving" product... though not intended to be a one-man job, I managed to cut, handle, install by myself while my family was away on vacation, and the benefits were immediately apparent.
I AM a believer in its value, and as an architect will encourage others to use and benefit as have I. Thanks!
David W.
Greenville, SC
I just purchased three rolls of Ultima radiant barrier a couple months ago, and I just wanted to let you know how happy I am with the product. We installed it on the undersides of our rafters, and we started a bit late in the year, so we were unable to completely finish the job yet. We just paid our first real summer electric bill and it was 40% lower than last year at the same time. Within two months we will have paid for the radiant barrier. It was very well made and easy to work with, your price was very competitive, and I could not be happier. Thank you very much.
Brandon Martin
Fort Worth, Texas
I have a brick veneer office building with a metal roof. I have installed radiant barrier on the rafters and am about 60% finished. I have already seen a 28.4% decrease in my daily KWH usage for the month of April when compared to last year. Amazing. And we are not even into the worst part of summer. The stuff works good and is easy to handle. I used the Ultima with an electric staple gun with 1/4 inch staples. I am in College Station, Texas, and think this product should be more widely used for energy conservation and efficiency. Thanks.
Richard
College Station, Texas
I am writing to tell you how wonderful your product is. It was going to cost me app. $2,000 to have a local company come and install a radiant layer in my attic, but after surfing the internet, I found your company. I read my options for products and the ease of installation instructions and decided that I could do this myself! The cost and shipping was very affordable.
I live in a 2 story house that has always been HOT on the second floor. You could feel the temperature rise as you walked up the stairs. Even with the ducts closed on the first floor, it was still hot.
I installed RadiantGUARD all by myself and it was very easy. The temperature is almost the same on the second floor as on the first. My air conditioner does not have to work as hard or as much since installing it. I am amazed at how the difference it has made in the comfort of my house. Can't wait to see what a difference it makes this winter, not that I am in any hurry for it to come, but knowing my heating bill will be lower and my house more comfortable....I will gladly promote your product to other and the ease of installation. Thank you for having this product available to the general public at a reasonable cost.
Carolyn Saunders
Norwalk, IA 50211
My wife and I purchased a 30-yr home in Redding, CA in October of last year. We dove right into a fairy expensive remodel, which included the addition of a 400-sq-ft room and a full tear of the kitchen and all surface coverings and the flooring downstairs. In short, the entire downstairs was stripped to the studs.
The existing insulation was R-11. What's worse is that it was compacted. I replaced all the insulation and installed RadiantGUARD radiant barrier everywhere I could. On the floors, because they are 1.5" T&G raised, I laid down radiant barrier and then Tyvek over the top (Hardie board is over that, but that is off point). I put Tyvek over the vertical shear on the addition, then shimmed out the walls 3/4". I then installed radiant barrier before I nailed up the T-111. I also installed radiant barrier on the bottom of the truss studs in the attic of the new addition. I was not able to shim the existing vertical walls, because of spacing issues with the second floor; nevertheless, I did put radiant barrier on these walls as well.
What we have at this point is a fully insulated downstairs with radiant barrier on just about every surface (floors, walls and attic). I am curious to see the thermal performance this summer, but we have already had 100+ days here in Redding and the downstairs is like living in a cooler. On the hottest day so far, 103, this floor held at 74-degrees until 2pm without running the AC unit or nay fans. Amazing to say the least.
We are not tearing out the second floor drywall, or doing anything as substantial as we did downstairs, but I will be installing Radiant Barrier in the attic, and just about any other place I can.
So far we are amazed with how well Radiant Barrier works, and we have told everyone that we know about it.
David
Redding, California
I’m here to sing the praises of radiant barrier. We have lived in Oklahoma since 1973 and the summers here are sometimes beyond bearable. Several years ago at our previous house in Bartlesville, Oklahoma the air conditioning would run constantly during the day in the summer months and still could not bring the inside temp below 80 degrees. Through a local contractor I was introduced to the radiant barrier product and I must say I was skeptical at first. But I decided I had little to lose so I bought the radiant barrier and installed it in the attic over the loose fill insulation following the manufacture’s recommendations. Immediately we experienced the results of my labor, (and the radiant barrier), with lower utility costs and fewer air conditioner service calls. The ac unit would cycle as it should, the house had become very comfortable during the summer and there was little variance in temperature from room to room. There was a noticeable improvement in retaining heat during the winter months too.
Eventually we moved back to Tulsa, Oklahoma and since that time I had been looking, off and on, for radiant barrier to install in my current house. Recently I ran across the RadiantGUARD website, I immediately ordered a 1000 sq foot roll and just finished installing it in the attic. Luckily because of the recent storms it was cooler in the attic and I was able to complete the installation within a few hours in one day. I also had the help of a roller jig I had constructed that made the task easier and go much faster.
As you can tell I am sold on the benefits of radiant barrier and I take every opportunity to tell anyone who will listen about my experiences. Some friends have installed radiant barrier and are amazed at the results.
Jim Taylor
Tulsa, Oklahoma
All I can say is WOW!! What a difference your product has made in my home.
I live in California and the last few days have been HOT!! While the outside temp was around 90-100, my house stay 20-25 degrees cooler with no air! I decided to tack the Ultima under my rafters. This took some time and effort however, it was well worth it!! I have pasted this info on to a number of friends. So expect some orders from Northern Ca. Thanks again
Steve Blagden
Pleasanton, CA
We installed the product on the attic ceiling, covering all joists, crossbeams and rafters with heavy-duty staple guns. The product is extremely durable and easy to work with. Me and my wife built the jiq with a few minor modifications. We used galvanized pipe and elbows with the PVC pipe for the roller. The jig is a must and I highly recommended it. It is worth the cost (very little I might add) in time and effort.
I have to tell you a story...My wife and I were in the attic and we started at the peak on one end of the attic ceiling. It was approx. 125 degrees and the going was slow. As we were putting the product on the attic roof, we noticed that on the side without the barrier, we could hardly breathe as the temperature was excruciating. The side that we were working on was considerably cooler. We could actually breath under the barrier side. We also had to have our evaporator replaced in the attic as our new home had a slight leak. I went to check on the technicians who were installing the new unit at 3:00 pm and I ask how they were doing and they said we can't believe how cool it is up here. They stated the last two attics they were in were so hot that they thought they were going to be sick. Prior to installing the radiant barrier, I wanted to cool the attic down and I was thinking about the spray on barrier as I heard someone in the neighborhood had it done. I thought I would try an attic gable vent, so I went to the Hardware store and bought one with a thermostat. I installed it and had to program it to turn on at 110 degrees and it continually ran between 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm. After finding your web site as well as others, I decided to purchase from you and I must say....Your site was the most informative and the delivery time was unbelievably prompt. We installed the product and the attic temperature rarely exceeds 92 degrees. The gable fan is now worthless. Our average electric bill without the radiant barrier in April, May, and June was $140.00. After installing the radiant barrier our electric bills have been reduced by 50 % even in the hottest months. We also have double pane windows, high efficiency bulbs exclusively and we keep the thermostat between 71 and 73 degrees. Start installing in the early am and quit around the hottest times. Resume two hours after nightfall. Drink plenty of water and Power Aid if installing during the hot months. You will probably need a step ladder to reach the peak if installing on the ceiling of the attic.
I have bragged about this product and your company to all interested parties. They are skeptical until they hear my testimony. We love the product and the results.
David
Austin, Texas
Installed 2500 square feet of Ultima laid on top of pre-existing R-40 fiberglass attic insulation in my house with truss roof construction and a metal roof. Immediately noticed a stabilization of room temperatures and a reduction of AC usage. Radiant heat gains previously experienced from the metal roof are finally neutralized. Am expecting similar positive results during the upcoming heating season through improved reduction of living area heat loss.
In summary:
Quality of material-excellent
Ease of installation-despite expected truss construction challenges, quality and forgiveness of material made installation doable for a one man crew.
Purchase/delivery: excellent, couldn't be better.
Satisfaction level: highest I can rate.
Install tips:
1-Taping a piece of course grade sandpaper wrapped around the end of a wood pole (like the kind that unscrews from some brooms/mops) made a nice push stick to move/adjust the radiant barrier material for final positioning.
2-wearing old school soft sole shoes like the converse Chuck Taylors enables you to feel ceiling joists for safe foot positioning.
3-for material cuts, use partially opened scissors.
4-for any area that you may later wish to gain walking access; using foil tape, attach a piece of 3/4 PVC pipe cut the width of the roll to the material at the start of the access point, with the opposite end taped down with foil tape. Doing this will allow you to easily roll up that section of material for temporary attic access. When finished, just unroll leaving the PVC attached for future access.
Motivation: Typical home improvements offer the homeowner reimbursements only upon the sale of the home. Insulation improvements are unique in that the homeowner will realize monthly reimbursements in the form of reduced power bills, and a reimbursement at the time of sale. Also, the general feel of the house now having stabilized temperatures is very nice indeed.
Am I glad that I installed a RadiantGUARD barrier: absolutely!
Lee
Central Alabama
I purchased your premium grade Radiant Barrier on 8/16/07 and had it installed shortly afterward. Having spent a good portion of my career as a Quality Control supervisor, I was use to analyzing data, so I decided to evaluate the performance as best I could of the installation of your product..
This graph shows the temperature difference with and without a radiant barrier at various times of day during the month of August, 2007. After reading numerous articles on how a radiant barrier can reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss, I decided to test the effect this had on my home. I used wireless thermocouples so as to collect the data at one location. The placement was: 1 - Outside facing north under a patio cover, 2 - Inside the center of the house, 3 - In the attic under the blown in insulation and touching the ceiling wallboard, and 4 - In the center of the attic’s framing space (hip roof). The Radiant Barrier was laid over the existing insulation and on top of the AC ducts. The parameter of attic foil flooring was tacked and mark with tape. Two men with minimal experience took four hours to complete the job. Preliminary indications are that the AC runs less, temperature throughout the house is much more uniform, with no warm or cool spots which was a problem before installation of the radiant barrier. After seeing what severe effect the sun has on the attic, insulation, and heat infiltration, short of shade trees, a radiant barrier does make a lot a sense. Energy usage is down 20 -25% so far.
Louis De Roche.
Slidell, La
To all who read this: This product works! I cannot begin to express my satisfaction, near elation, about the effectiveness of this product. I purchased the Premium Radiant Barrier to lay over my attic floor upstairs.
The current insulation is blown-in and likely the original insulation (home built in 1976). Our upstairs bedrooms were consistently 8-10 degrees warmer (summer time cooling) than the main floor. I looked in to purchasing a de-humidifier to help with the mugginess and temperature, but the cost of machine and cost to operate turned me off. I found Radiant Guard through a Google search, and I'm thrilled I purchased it.
Upon installation, the results were immediately felt. During mid-afternoon, typically when the upstairs is hottest, I went up stairs to find that I could not feel a difference in temperature between there and the main floor.
I have noticed the a/c kicks on less often, though I cannot report any utility savings at this time due to the fact I have no bills to compare yet.
I'm confident there will be a savings, though the comfort level upstairs is savings enough for me. It's the best $130.00 I've ever spent.
Thank you Radiant Guard.
Schawn W.
Carmel (Indianapolis), Indiana
I live in Cincinnati Ohio and bought the Premium barrier. I laid it directly on the attic floor over loose fill insulation. The big surprise to me is the difference it makes in the Winter. We turned the thermostat down two degrees during the day and are very comfortable. We turned it down six degrees at night and sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night because we are too warm! One word of advice, do not skimp on the plywood platform when you are working in the attic. I did, and put my foot through the Master bedroom ceiling! But I have a great wife, she was only mad for about 5 minutes.
Thanks, great product!
Doug Bell
Cincinnati, Ohio
I purchased a roll of RadiantGUARD's White Double Bubble Insulation to put under the decking, between the rafters of my work shop. The insulation worked out great, it is so light weight that I did not need any help installing it even though I cut it in 10 foot lengths. Before installing the insulation I was having a problem with moisture build up under the decking, since installing it I have had no problems at all. The shop stays warmer now with very little heating required.
The only thing I would suggest you check before you staple the insulation in is the size of the staple. I started out with one that was to long and had to change and use a shorter one.
Thanks for the great product.
Allen Anderson
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
RadiantGUARD was especially forthcoming in answering questions by email and telephone. Customer Support was especially patient and helpful. The double foil insulation I ordered arrived in a timely manner, with five day (because of a weekend), and was what I was promised. The installation of the 48" x 125' rolls went well. My installation was in a crawlspace, and I chose to leave the water and gas lines exposed, so there was a little more work involved. I should mention that I live in coastal SC, where there are no basements. I have no installation recommendations other than those supplied by RadiantGUARD. Patience is the key!
RadiantGUARD has made this is very positive experience for me. I am 65 years old and had no trouble with installation.
Rodger
South Carolina
RadiantGUARD's website exemplifies the perfect model of online purchasing that eludes the vast majority of it's internet contemporaries. Aesthetically perfect blend of refreshing clarity, understated strength, and %100 functionality blend seamlessly, affording fortunate clients a precision buying experience, from start to finish that's second to none! The product I ordered arrived with astounding speed and in perfect condition despite UPS destructive efforts. If only RadiantGUARD's business approach were the world wide STANDARD for internet merchants. Not only would individual consumers benefit dramatically But I venture to speculate economic revitalization nationally as well as globally and extending nobility into the atomic structure of humanity itself! Thank you RadiantGUARD!!!!!!!!!
Scott
This has got to be the best business we have ever dealt with, just superb!
Chris Duncan
Duncan Cabinets
In May of this year I got up in the attic with a friend and we installed the Standard radiant barrier insulation purchased from you all. I was impressed with the thickness of the product. It was so much more 'substantial' than the product we had previously installed. Our utility bill has lowered an average of 600 kilowatt hours each month for the last 3 months.
Barbara
Port Charlotte, FL
Just received your product yesterday. By the way, your customer service, with the updates of emails regarding the status of the order is fantastic.
Ed
Wyoming, MI
Hi; I just want to say it has been a pleasure doing business with such a service oriented company as you guys are. I received my order with out a hitch. You have revived my faith in the Internet. Thank You.
Bob
Rutland, MA
We decided to install a radiant heat barrier, based on what we read on both commercial and government web sites. I ordered the medium weight barrier from the RadiantGUARD website.
I had assumed the radiant barrier would have to be babied going up, and would be easy to tear. Actually it is just the opposite. It is quite rugged and survives rolling, folding, and minor accidents with blunt objects, all of which got thoroughly tested as I fat-fingered my way through the job. I trusted the web-sites that a radiant barrier was a good idea, but as you're installing it, it's hard to believe it is actually doing anything for your house. The whole thing is kind of theoretical, or was until I got near the center. I was finally able to sit in a stooped position and I noticed how hot my face and head felt. It was like I had sunburn. Then I sat back and the heat went away! It was just the "shadow" of the foil barrier. As I moved under I felt fine, as I moved out from under, I was distinctly hot and uncomfortable. This through the asphalt shingles and 1x6 roof sheathing! It was obvious that the thin layer of foil was making a huge difference in the amount of heat coming in through the roof. It was like being hit by a heat-lamp when I wasn't under the foil.
Overall, I highly recommend a radiant barrier in any house that does not already have it built into the roof sheathing. It was cheap, relatively easy to install, and made a significant difference. I don't have a full month's electric bill to compare yet, but our bill dropped by $75 with only a partial month of radiant barrier and insulation so I am looking forward to the first full bill.
Tom W.
Los Angeles, California
I'm sure you have good data showing the effectiveness of RadiantGUARD, but I thought that I'd share my results with you and your guys. You can take the engineer out of the business, but you can't take the engineer out of the retiree. The middle grade radiant barrier was very easy to handle and install without tearing or puncturing. After installing 2000 sq.ft. RadiantGUARD in my attic, mostly stapled to the underside of the roof rafters, peak attic temperatures were lowered about 11 deg. F. Corresponding electric power usage was lower by 20% for the month of May compared to May 2005. For maximum benefits, I made sure that ambient air vents fed both the attic space above and below the foil, and the air space between foil and roof had unobstructed communication with either ridge vents or mechanical ventilators. The only thing better is to install a new roof using aluminized decking. Great Stuff!!
Charlie Beal
Houston, Texas
