Radiant Barrier | Energy Efficiency

Three things affect the energy savings as a result of the installation of a radiant barrier – the level of insulation in the attic, the ventilation in the attic and the geographic location of the home. While recommended levels of attic insulation help address heat transfer, mass insulation on the ceiling is not the best solution.

The heat from the sun can cause your roof to reach temperatures in excess of 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and this radiant heat penetrates into your attic.  Fi-Foil’s Silver Shield (attached to the bottom of the top chord of the roof truss) reflects radiant out in the Summer Months and it reflects radiant heat down and in during the Winter Months.  Silver Shield saves energy year round, no matter where the home is located. In addition, Fi-Foil’s Silver Shield Attic Radiant Barrier can be installed in both new and existing homes.

“In Florida, computer studies conducted in the development of the Florida Model Energy Code indicate that a typical attic radiant barrier installed in a Florida home will offer a six to seven year simple payback and a 15 percent to 19 percent return on investment.”[Excerpt from Florida Solar Energy Center website - http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/html/FSEC-EN-15/#payback]

Fi-Foil Company manufactures and distributes a complete line of reflective insulation, radiant barriers and facings for residential, commercial and agricultural applications, and has been a pioneer in the industry for more than two decades.  For more information on the company’s new 20-year transferable warranty or its complete line of reflective insulation products, call Fi-Foil Company at 1-800-448-3401 or visit www.fifoil.com

Silver Shield™ Radiant Barrier built to last.   Fi-Foil Company, America’s leading manufacturer of insulation solutions for masonry walls, metal buildings and radiant barriers, offers a 20-year transferable warranty on Silver Shield™ Radiant Barrier.  Silver Shield^TM Radiant Barrier saves energy, reduces attic temperatures up to 30 degrees F, improves duct and insulation performance, and is the industry’s highest performing radiant barrier application.   The product is also marketed through home builders as part of a Radiant Barrier Program – a turn-key marketing program that builders can, in turn, sell as an option to their homebuyers. The builder program includes interactive displays for builder sales offices and design centers, as well as onsite training for the builders’ sales staff.    The company’s 20-year transferable warranty assures customers that Fi-Foil’s Silver Shield Radiant Barrier will be free from defects and comply with Fi-Foil’s published specifications under proper usage.  Fi-Foil Company manufactures and distributes a complete line of reflective insulation, radiant barriers and facings for residential, commercial and agricultural applications, and has been a pioneer in the industry for more than two decades. 

For more information on the company’s new 20-year transferable warranty or its complete line of reflective insulation products, call Fi-Foil Company at 1-800-448-3401 or visit www.fifoil.com.

Committed Before It Was Cool.At Fi-Foil, we began designing our reflective insulation products more than 25 years ago. And more than 25 years ago, we were committed to the principles of sustainable construction.Our products are designed to be energy-efficient, so we started out thinking in terms of energy conservation, life-cycle performance, and minimal landfill impact. Our radiant barrier and reflective insulation products are Energy Star® compliant and meet or exceed various performance and code criteria established by national, regional and local governing bodies.The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) was developed and is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national non-profit organization formed in 1993 to promote environment responsibility within the building construction industry. Fi-Foil products can contribute LEED credits for “Energy, Materials & Resources” to residential building projects - confirming our commitment to you, the industry and our world

Explore Alternatives to Paper Consider alternative building materials when embarking on a new construction project. Fi-Foil Company, Inc., one of the nation’s largest manufacturers and distributors of energy-efficient reflective insulation and radiant barriers, offers its innovative paperless solution in reflective insulation – M-Shield™. M-Shield reduces the potential for mold and mildew growth by eliminating the cellulose in the insulation.  “There are no components in the product that contain food for mold,” says Bill Lippy, Fi-Foil’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s a great product that assists with managing moisture. It breathes allowing vapor transfer, which is recommended by scientists for hot, humid climates.” M-Shield is a multi-layer reflective insulation intended for use on furred-out masonry walls. Costing 30% less than foam board, reflective insulation is the most cost effective masonry wall insulation system, achieving thermal performance of an R-4.1 up to an R-5.1 (actual R-value determined by the depth of the furred cavity) and low cost per R-value. This innovative product also has a Class A flammability rating and passes the ASTM C1338 Fungus test.  For more information on Fi-Foil, the paperless M-Shield product and the company’s complete line of reflective insulation and radiant barrier products, visit www.fifoil.com or call 1-800-448-3401. 

What is green?

Both builders and homeowners are struggling with that question these days – especially with the price of fuel oil at an all-time high and the cost of heating and cooling homes at the top of everyone’s mind.

For the average homeowner hears all about reducing his “environment footprint” – recycling; minimizing the amount of trash; seeking out Energy Star® appliances; turning off lights and other electronic equipment off when not in use; replacing a/c filters regularly; adding insulation to the attic; and using a radiant barrier under the roof to reflect radiant heat back outside.

At Fi-Foil, our products are designed to be energy-efficient, so we started out thinking in terms of energy conservation, life-cycle performance, and minimal landfill impact more than 20 years ago. Our radiant barrier and reflective insulation products are Energy Star® compliant and meet or exceed various performance and code criteria established by national, regional and local governing bodies.

The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) was developed and is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national non-profit organization formed in 1993 to promote environment responsibility within the building construction industry. Fi-Foil’s radiant barrier and reflective insulation products can contribute LEED credits for “Energy, Materials & Resources” to residential building projects – confirming our commitment to you, the industry, and our world.

The LEED criteria for certification continues to evolve as ongoing testing and evaluations produce new and more consistent results. Environmental responsibility will remain a major issue in the construction industry well into the foreseeable future. Products within the LEED framework that can produce a measurable positive impact on the environment along with cost justification, such as the Fi-Foil Company’s line of radiant barrier and reflective insulation products, will continue to grow in popularity as more and more of their benefits are realized.

We know how hot is on a summer afternoon by the pool. Imagine how it feels to someone working in an attic!

But experts say that something known as a radiant barrier may cool things off in the attic while saving homeowners lots of money.

How does a radiant barrier work?

A radiant barrier is based on a concept called emissivity or basically, how much a material can repel radiant energy. The lower the number the better and according to the Florida Energy Center a radiant barrier should measure less than 0.06.

They say that the radiant barrier can help cut air conditioning costs by as much as 20%.

But does a radiant barrier work? Experts say yes.

They say it works on the same principle as a lunar module lined with foil or that shiny reflective shield you put in your parked car windshield.

Experts say it is a home insulating idea that’s been around for decades.

In fact, the Department of Energy recommends radiant barriers in residential attics. And the Florida Solar Energy Center says that radiant barriers offer significant potential for impeding solar driven heat gains in buildings.

All of those recommendations are for actual rolls of reflective material that is attached in a retrofit to an existing attic or on building materials in new construction. Just like the radiant barrier products offered by Fi-Foil Company, the leader and innovator in energy-efficient reflective insulation and radiant barriers for residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings.