Welcome to the ICFUMH Blog
© 2008 by Kelly Smith all rights reserved
Beat the Heat with Radiant Barrier
08/11/08
The cost to air condition you home in the summer is absolutely insane. But what can you do? For one
thing, you can install a spray-on or aluminum foil radiant barrier.
These are the two major attic heat-reduction methods on the market today. And it works. NASA uses it,
as do other customers. The dominant technologies are spray-on and aluminum foil radiant barrier.
Which is Best: Spray or Foil?
This is really up to you but the spray costs more and reflects better. But, and this is a huge but,
spray-on is more versatile. It's simply a powder mixed with paint so you can use any color latex
paint you want and roll it on your walls, interior or exterior.
When I sprayed my attic, I used the bottom inch or two in the bucket that my Graco airless paint
sprayer didn't pick up to roll on my garage walls. And what a difference that has made!
How Much does it Cost?
Uhmm, good question. It's expensive, $0.50 USD per square foot for foil and about $40.00 USD per
gallon for the pre-mixed spray-on product. You think that's bad? Check out your last electricity bill.
How Does it all Work?
The spray-on uses microscopic porcelain beads and aluminum flakes embedded in a latex paint base to
reflect the heat. The foil is an aluminum product with tiny perforations to allow the material to breathe.
Questions About Radiant Barriers
As with any other product that claims to adhere to green building practices and slash utility bills,
barrier materials get their share of questions:
- Is it too expensive? No! This is one of the cheapest things you can do to lower the
burden on your central air conditioner.
- Is it hard to install? No! If you go with the foil, you basically need a tape measure,
a utility knife, and a stapler.
- Are there any precautions? Yes. If you use spray-on, you must use
a high quality respirator (not a dust mask) when spraying or boxing the paint and
powder.
Cell Phone Reception
Ahh, everybody's favorite question in this hooked-up world. This question is still way out
there as far as the responses go. From my spray radiant barrier experience, I can say that there was no
change.
But, as far as the foil staple-up barrier is concerned, I've found that the yes/no response
is about equal. Logic dictates that it would make a difference from cell interception arriving
vertically, but horizontally? Who knows?
The Truth about Cell Phone Reception
Edit for update: Yes, I have done the test on my own home. During the short span of time between
spring and summer here in South Texas, I installed the foil product on the floor of my attic.
So now I have both the paint and the foil.
I took about four days to complete this
radiant barrier foil installation project, but then
again, I only worked about three hours every morning, before the attic heated up too much. (Click the link
to read lessons learned and more and the pic for a bigger pic.)
There has been absolutely zero change in cell phone reception and we have three different brands
of phones here in the house. Now, when are folks going to start wondering about aluminum siding?
|
