Radiant Barrier Journal

In today’s economy with rising utility costs, people are constantly looking for cost effective ways to reduce their monthly utility bills and save money.  Radiant barriers have gained a lot of attention as a result and yet very little is understood about what makes them so effective.

Definition of a Radiant Barrier

Radiant barriers reflect radiant heat back to it’s source.  Typically installed in attics or as a house wrap, a radiant barrier reduces summer heat gain and winter heat loss which reduces cooling and heating costs.  While highly reflective, a radiant barrier works by greatly reducing the transfer of radiant heat using two unique properties; high reflectivity and low emissivity.

For a product to be classified as a true radiant barrier, it must be proven to reflect 90% or more of the radiant heat the strikes it’s surface.  How do you know a radiant barrier has been proven to reflect 90% of the radiant heat?  Make sure the radiant barrier has an ASTM C1313 classification.  The manufacturer should communicate this classification as part of their product specifications. Click here to read more…

Radiant barrier and reflective insulation products, purchased and installed in 2009 or 2010 for the purpose of insulating one’s primary residence, qualify for a federal tax credit as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 signed by President Obama on February 17, 2009.

Radiant barriers and reflective insulation products qualified for tax credits in previous years, but with the signing of the ARRA, the tax credit was increased from 10% to 30% of the product cost and the maximum allowed for all improvements in 2009-2010 was raised from $500 to $1,500.

A tax credit is a direct reduction in the amount of taxes your owe as opposed to a tax deduction which is a reduction in the gross income on which taxes owed are computed.  That means you can lower your total federal income taxes by up to $1,500 over a two-year period by purchasing a radiant barrier or reflective insulation product for your home. Click here to read more…