Radiant barrier is one of the most innovative ways to take control of your home’s temperature. It uses a combination of radiation, conduction and convection to reduce heat transfer from one area to another.

A radiant barrier can be an excellent way to reduce cooling costs in the summer, but it’s important to understand what it is and how to get the most out of your investment. There are a number of issues and complications that can arise with radiant barriers, both due to the nature of the technology and the manner in which they’re installed.


The best way to ensure that your radiant barrier is working its hardest is by ensuring that the radiant barrier is installed properly and that you have proper ventilation in your attic. Without this, you’ll be losing the heat that the barrier is designed to reflect back into your attic space and increase your air conditioning bill in the summertime.
Installation Methods

There are a variety of ways to install radiant barrier in your attic. The simplest is to simply lay the material directly on top of existing attic insulation, with the reflective side up. Other options include drapeting the material over the rafters of the attic or stapling the material to the bottom of the trusses.

Often the most effective and convenient application of radiant barrier is to wrap it around the entire perimeter of your attic floor, including under the roof decking. This is the most economical method because it requires little to no cutting, patching or re-sanding of the existing attic insulation.