Radiant Barrier Roof Shingles

When the sun heats a roof it is the sun s radiant energy that makes the roof hot.

Radiant barrier roof shingles.

Radiant barriers don t harm roofing materials or void shingle warranties. This can be a little tricky to understand because it seems logical that the roof would get hotter if the radiant barrier below it is reflecting 97 of the radiant heat back through the roof assembly. Roofingfoil underlayment is designed to go on top of the roof deck and is an underlayment product and radiant barrier all in one and is an excellent choice for metal and tile roofs. Radiant barriers without an air space don t exist they can t exist and they will never exist.

No air space no radiant heat no radiant barrier. Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics. Attics heat up when the sun s radiant energy heats the shingles and the heat is transferred to the interior attic space through the roofing materials via conduction. If you ve ever wondered why some attics are lined with shiny metallic looking material this article will explain the ins and outs of the subject.

Because radiant barriers reflect the radiant heat rays that strike them back in the opposite direction from which they came modest concerns have been raised about the possible increase in roofing temperatures and the effect of increased temperatures on roof shingles. The radiant barrier reflects 95 of the radiant heat back to the roofing materials which then emits over 90 of the heat out the roof almost instantly. If you are getting a new roof beware of roofing companies who are selling radiant barriers under shingles. As we already mentioned this type of roof works primarily through the reflection of heat.

How does it work. Radiant barrier damages roof shingles. Radiantguard radiant barrier foil insulation installed in an attics can reduce attic temperatures by up to 30 degrees when stapled with a staple gun to the underside of roof rafters by reflecting up to 97 of the radiant heat that strikes its surface thereby reducing heat transfer from the attic to living spaces resulting in lower utility bills. Radiant heat travels in a line and heats anything solid within its path.

Florida solar energy center conducted a study on radiant barrier and shingle temperatures and found that the roof increased in temperature by only about 5 degrees at the hottest point of the day when the heat was entering and exiting the roof simultaneously. There are a number of ways a cool roof can be created including the installation of radiant barriers within the attic as well as radiant shingles on top of the roof. However we will do our best to explain why the effect is nominal.