Regulate The Temperature Of Your Home With A Radiant Barrier

 Making your home more energy efficient doesn’t always mean cramming it full of the latest and flashiest of green technology. There are many small, but significant  steps one can take to increase the energy performance of their homes. Radiant barriers- a reflective, insulating barrier between the interior and exterior of your home- are a relatively low-tech, but highly effective solution to the heating and cooling issues of your home.

What is a Radiant Barrier?

While it may sound like the weapon of a supervillain, a radiant barrier is actually a good way to keep warm homes warm and cool homes cool. In many ways, radiant barriers are like the ‘space blankets’ used by athletes or found in first aid kits. These barriers are a type of foil insulation that reflects heat on both sides of its surface. During summer months, outside radiant heat is reflected away from your home, while the barrier works in colder months to prevent radiant heat loss from inside your home. When combined with insulation, radiant barriers can do wonders to the regulation of temperature in your home.

Energy Efficiency

Most homes lose up to 17% of their heating capacity through their roof or crawl space. Radiant barriers can be installed in a variety of places in your home to increase energy efficiency, including the interior of your attic, over ceiling insulation or in crawlspaces. By wrapping your home in a big metal blanket, you can greatly decrease the amount of energy lost to the outside, as well as the amount of energy absorbed by your house. It may seem like a small step, but radiant barriers are a highly effective way to increase the performance of your home. When combined with other energy efficient options, radiant barriers work to make your home a lean, mean, energy-efficient machine!

What Radiant Barrier is Best for You?

There are several types of radiant barriers available on the marketplace today to homeowners looking to increase the energy performance of their home. Green Horizon offers the Super R Radiant Barrier, which is up to 97% reflective, made of pure or single-sided aluminum and has the benefit of being maintenance-free. As each home has a unique energy profile, scheduling an assessment of your home with a green energy expert can help you understand which radiant barrier and insulation options are right for how.