Do Radiant Barrier Systems Really Work?
by Ken Sheinkopf, a communications specialist with the American Solar Energy Society (www.ases.org) This article appeared in the York Sunday News on August 3, 2008 Click here to see a screen shot of the actual article Q. I recently heard about some new cooling strategy called “radiant barriers,” in which heat from the house is directed up to the roof. Do you know if this really works, and if reflecting the heat out through the roof can negatively affect the roof shingles? A. Those are good questions for this time of year, since one of the best ways to keep your home’s living space cooler is by keeping your attic cooler. First, let me point out that the use of radiant-barrier systems in a home is far from anything new. Researchers ahve been studying this strategy – and people have been using it – for more than 25 years that I know about, and homebuilders have actually used foil in homes for decades. Note that I used the word “system” when talking about this cooling strategy, though, sin
