All Top Radiant Heat Barrier:

Energy Savings


Consumers are less concerned about how energy barriers work than they are about their effect on utility bills. This is much less than the 97 percent reduction in attic radiant heat flow because other forms of heat flow contribute to the total cooling (or heating) load. Data can expect to vary with region. The following data provided by The Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga Tennessee on Performance Testing of Radiant Barriers demonstrates the economic savings possible for a typical home:

		All the Heat Shield Radiant Barrier configurations yielded sizable percent savings (ranging from 16 to 40 percent) and statistically significant reductions in summer attic heat transfer compared to the non-RB case. Also, as the ambient temperature increases, the savings also increase.
		The RB (Radiant Barrier) on top was the best summer performer. It consistently showed heat flux reductions compared to the non RB case of about 40 percent for almost all ambient temperatures and even showed savings (20 to 30 percent) during mild temperature and night summer conditions.
		The RB (Radiant Barrier) configurations provide statistically significant reductions in winter attic heat fluxes in many, but not all, situations. The percent savings during night hours and during below 35° conditions, when heating loads are the highest, are usually sizable (from 6 to 23 percent) and the differences between the RB configurations and the non-RB case are often statistically significant during these conditions.
	(Sources: Tennessee Valley Authority - Chattanooga, TN)