longhorn Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 Has anyone had a radiant barrier installed? If so, who did you use and would you recommend them? Also, did you use the spray or foil type, and is there a ballpark price for this type of service? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curley1733 Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 Has anyone had a radiant barrier installed? If so, who did you use and would you recommend them? Also, did you use the spray or foil type, and is there a ballpark price for this type of service? Thanks.I work for a company that makes buildings more efficient in many different ways including HVAC, lighting, Building Automation Systems, building envelope, etc... Radiant barriers will improve comfort and they do improve the envelope of your house, however they do not provide the paybacks that the installation companies tout. I would not recommend getting one unless you are uncomfortable in your house and need to seal it, or if you know for sure that you will be in your house for more than 7 years. The paybacks vary depending on how you use your house, but we have never found a REAL payback less than 7 years on a commercial building. Granted a house is different than a commercial building, but in reality a commercial building uses more energy per square foot, therefore should have a better payback on a radiant barrier. We have not found that they are beneficial economically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwrm4 Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 It's pretty simple to do yourself. You can purchase the rolls of radiant barrier foil at Home Depot. You then staple it between the rafters, with some taping etc as needed. I did my 1910 bungalow at a total cost of $225 I believe. I tracked average summer attic temps before and after I installed it and recognized a 20 F drop in the attic. Did I save on electrical bills? No, but my house went from barely tolerable (80F) to reasonably comfortable (74F) during the day in the summer, with the same AC unit running full blast all the time.The other oft overlooked problem with houses in the Heights is attic venting. Most have some sort of exit vent, in the form of a turbine or ridge vent, but very little to no inlet vents, either on the gables or, preferably, in the soffits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeTX Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We installed the spray-on radiant barrier paint about 3 years ago (very good brand just cant remenber the name). Year one seem better but I have been unhappy since. In so much, we are installing an attic fan next week. Oh, it is really messing job spraying that paint on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwood Posted July 6, 2010 Share Posted July 6, 2010 Has anyone had a radiant barrier installed? If so, who did you use and would you recommend them? Also, did you use the spray or foil type, and is there a ballpark price for this type of service? Thanks.Efficient Attic Systems can install the radiant barrier and proper venting. Radiant barrier is not going to help a lot unless you have sufficient soffit vents and ridge vents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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