Radiant Heat Barrier Vs Attic Fan

A radiant barrier works together with decent attic ventilation to drop both air temperature and surface temps.

Radiant heat barrier vs attic fan. Keep in mind in order to get this price you must be very savvy with electrical and active venting solutions. Air temperatures would drop but surface temperatures would not drop much due to the radiant heat gain. This is really what drives heat flow the top surface temperature of the insulation. A cooler attic space means less heat moving to the cooler space below the attic.

Radiant barrier should always be installed to work with the soffit and ridge. 95 of homeowners will not be able to install a roof mounted attic fan with temp switch or proper venting. Here is where many people screw up attic ventilation. For the record both the radiant barrier spray paint and the radiant barrier foil will reflect i e.

However the fine print exists when the best available radiant barrier paint can only reflect about 75 of the radiant heat transfer. This would be like blowing a giant fan on your sunny driveway and expecting it not to be hot. Meanwhile the radiant barrier foil will reflect 97 of the radiant heat transfer. Total diy radiant barrier comparison cost vs savings.

Installing radiant barrier under the roof decking is the preferred method versus on top of the insulation because it gives an air gap for the heat to escape to the ridge vent without creating a potential moisture problem between the radiant barrier and the attic floor. Not emit radiant heat. If you install a radiant barrier it will drop the surface temperatures inside the attic compared to the air temperature in the attic. Total diy radiant barrier installation costs w attic fan.