Radiant barrier insulation is the most important energy efficient home upgrade you may never have heard of.
Traditional insulation prevents heat transfer via conduction.?A radiant barrier works in a different way, reducing thermal radiation transfer. When added?to your attic, this barrier reflects the suns heat away from the house during the summer and reflects the heat back into your home during the cold months.
So, how can?this energy-efficient home improvement benefit you?
No. 1: Radiant Barrier Insulation Increases Your Home?s Comfort
During the summer, you may have noticed how much warmer your house becomes once the sun comes up. During the winter, you may notice a chill set in as soon as the sun sets. This is radiant heat transfer at work.
Installing radiant barriers in your attic helps to stabilize the interior air temperature of your home by reducing a large portion of radiant heat transfer.
Consequently, you will notice less than shifts in your interior temperature. You?ll spend much less time running for a sweater at dusk or cranking down the AC as soon as the sun comes up.
No. 2:?Adding?Radiant Barriers Cuts Your Energy Costs
Once you reduce the amount of radiant heat transfer in your home, your heating and cooling systems will have to work less hard to compensate for the fluctuations in interior temperature. Consequently, the HVAC system will use less energy, which translates to smaller utility bills.
In addition?to?your attic, you can also add a radiant film to your home?s windows, a blanket wrap for your water heater and even a customized barrier for your garage door.
These areas ? your attic, windows, garage door and water heater ? are arguably the most vulnerable to heat transfer. The more barriers you can add, the more you will lower your heating, cooling and water heating costs.
No. 3: Radiant Barrier Insulation Adds Value to Your Home
For many homeowners, energy-efficient home improvements not only?save you money every month on your utility bills, but they also pay for themselves when you sell your home.
For energy-efficient insulation upgrades, Nerd Wallet reports that homeowners average?116 percent return on investment (ROI) for these upgrades when the sell their home. Their data indicate that homeowners who spent $1,268 on insulation upgrades realized a value increase at sale of $1,482 one year later.
Does that mean that you can actually make a little money by adding these?improvements to your home? It?s certainly possible. In the meantime,?adding a radiant barrier will make your home more comfortable all year long, while reducing your energy use ? and the utility bills that go with it.
GreenHome Specialties, serving customers in?Provo, Layton and throughout northern Utah, can perform an energy audit on your home, to determine whether this or other energy-efficient home improvements can benefit you.
Contact us today to learn more about radiant barrier insulation and how it can benefit you and your family.
