Radiant Barrier

Radiant barriers consist of a thin sheet or coating of a highly reflective material, usually aluminum, applied to one or both sides of substrate materials, such as Kraft paper or plywood sheathing. It is installed in buildings primarily to reduce summer heat gain, and hence to reduce building cooling energy usage.

Radiant barriers may be installed in attics in several configurations. The most efficient way to install the radiant barrier is between the top cord of roof trusses with an air space between the roof sheathing and the radiant barrier. The heat that radiates down from the roof is reflected back up. A cooler attic equates to lower air conditioning bills! Visit http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/radiant/index.html for more details.