How Does Radiant Barrier Roof Decking Work

By reducing the amount of radiant heat reaching the insulation in your attic the insulation remains cooler and is able to keep your home more comfortable.

How does radiant barrier roof decking work. Florida solar energy center conducted a study on radiant barrier and shingle temperatures and found that the roof increased in temperature by only about 5 degrees at the hottest point of the day when the heat was entering and exiting the roof simultaneously. How does a radiant barrier reflect block radiant heat. A radiant barrier is designed to increase the effectiveness of your thermal envelope. However radiant barriers can also be installed in other ways such as having it infused with your roof decking or underneath tiles.

How radiant barrier works a radiant barrier is designed to block reflect radiant heat energy unlike traditional insulations that are designed to slow it down by absorbing it. A radiant barrier roofis a type of roof that is designed to reflect heat. Radiant barriers are graded on three levels. To be effective the reflective surface must face an air space.

Increasing summer energy consumption and cooling costs. Emmisivity this is expresses as a number between 0 and 1 and it is the amount of radiant energy that is emitted back onto a black surface of equal area and temperature. A radiant barrier works in walls too. A radiant barrier can also reduce heat transfer caused by convection by blocking convective air flow.

With a ventilated airspace behind the cladding as in a rainscreen if the next layer on the other side of that airspace is a radiant barrier it could reduce the heat flow. Radiant barrier sheathing made up of either plywood or oriented strand board osb with athin layer of aluminum facing on one side is installed to the roof rafters with the aluminumlayer facing down. How does it work. The temperature of the attic space increases and that heat is transferred to the building below.

For a picture of this in action you can check out the product listing on amazon. If you ve ever wondered why some attics are lined with shiny metallic looking material this article will explain the ins and outs of the subject. It is meant to supplement insulation not replace it. The radiant barrier should be installed in a manner to minimize dust accumulation on the reflective surface.

A radiant barrier is typically stapled to the bottom truss chords against the deck sheathing. As we already mentioned this type of roof works primarily through the reflection of heat. Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics. Dust accumulation on the reflective surface will reduce its reflective capability.

April 19 2019 posted in. The aluminum is not used for its reflective properties but for its low emittingproperties. Radiant barriers reduces the radiant heat transfer from the roof to the interior of your attic.