Difference Between Radiant Barrier And Reflective Insulation

Let s get some facts straight.

Difference between radiant barrier and reflective insulation.

To be effective the reflective surface must face an air space. The difference between reflective paint and radiant barrier foil. The key difference is in the structure. A number of factors should be taken into consideration when choosing between these two especially the climate zone that you re building in.

How does it stack up to radiant barrier foil. The radiant barrier foil product line offered by innovative insulation inc. Has minimum emissivity properties of 05. A quality radiant barrier has a reinforcement layer in the middle typically referred to as a woven scrim to make the product strong and tear resistant.

The radiant barrier should be installed in a manner to minimize dust accumulation on the reflective surface. There is no such thing as radiant barrier paint. The purpose of a radiant barrier is to reduce summer heat gain and lower a home s cooling costs but not in the same way thermal insulation does. Radiant barriers and reflective insulation systems work by reducing radiant heat gain.

Radiant barrier or foil insulation consists of a highly reflective film mounted to a substrate material such as cardboard kraft paper oriented strand board or plastic. When installing attic insulation a case can be made for both radiant barrier sheathing with typical types of insulation as well as spray foam insulation. And that means quite simply radiant barrier foil is a far more efficient option than spray on coatings. A reflective insulation is an insulation system typically composed of closed cell foam fiberglass mylar air bubbles or shredded newspaper plus 2 low emittance reflective surfaces plus trapped air spaces.

That means more than 95 of radiant heat is reflected. These are the numbers of conductive not reflective insulation. A radiant barrier is a single reflective surface used alone that faces an open space such as a wall cavity or attic. The term radiant barrier is supposed to describe products that reflect over 90 of radiant energy and these paint products simply cannot do that.

Both products contain the same metalized aluminum and can be utilized as reflective insulations or as radiant barriers. A radiant barrier is a fairly thin product that is about the thickness of a standard business card. A radiant barrier and reflective insulation product are very similar in that they both reflect an average of 95 96 of the radiant heat that strikes their surfaces across and air space.