Spray Foam Insulation Vs Radiant Barrier

For summer cooling the radiant barrier may be better than the spray foam most of the attic s heat gain is through radiation in our sunny climate in denver colorado a well vented attic with a radiant barrier helps our clients keep their cool prolong their shingle life while reducing their conditioned space.

Spray foam insulation vs radiant barrier.

In other words it reflects 95 of any incoming radiant heat. What is foam insulation. Radiant barrier sheathing is inexpensive and reflects thermal radiation to keep attic spaces cool. The emittance value of our radiant barrier products is 0 05.

May 14 2010 3 20 pm edt open cell foam vs. Foam insulation most commonly comes in two forms. Traditional vented attic assemblies with radiant barriers have a long history of reliable performance. When installing attic insulation a case can be made for both radiant barrier sheathing with typical types of insulation as well as spray foam insulation.

Old home with some floored storage in attic and worn out fiberglass insulation in unfloored area no hvac there but some duct work. Benefits of installing spray foam insulation. Another alternative to radiant barrier foil are the various types of foam insulation. Take a look at the chart below from rima to compare some common brands.

A number of factors should be taken into consideration when choosing between these two especially the climate zone that you re building in. This means that radiant barrier sheathing keeps your home comfortably insulated against outside heat and saves energy your power utility bills up to 17. If you are more concerned with energy efficiency spray foam. However radiant barrier sheathing in general offers a number of advantages over spray foam insulation including.

It has increased r values that make your attic space cooler in the hotter months. Foam insulation rigid boards are 4 x8 sheets usually cast of closed cell polystyrene designed to fit directly inside walls against the interior or exterior of plywood sheathing as. Spray foam may be a good option in small homes where space is essential or in areas that are difficult to insulate. At the time of this writting the best spray on radiant barrier coating comes in at 0 16.

Spray applied radiant heat barrier paint by j. Ingols we have a 50 yr. Spray foam is a great way to keep heat in your home in the winter and often sparks the spray foam roof insulation vs. R 20 insulation beats a radiant barrier any day but r 20 is still less that the minimum code requirement for roof insulation.