Cold Climate Insulation: Does Radiant Barrier Help In Winter?

As winter approaches, homeowners seek effective strategies of using thermal insulation to keep their homes warm and energy-efficient. In cold climates, achieving high levels of thermal insulation in specific areas of a home is crucial. These areas include the attic, walls, floors, crawlspace, and basement. While radiant barriers are commonly associated with managing heat during scorching summers, their role in winter insulation is a topic often overlooked. In this blog post, we explore the question: Can radiant barriers contribute to a warmer home during the winter months? To answer this, we will combine knowledge about cold climate insulation and explore how radiant barriers can enhance current approaches for basements and attics.

In severely cold climates, people often overlook insulating the basement, which is a crucial area. Since warm air rises naturally, it can easily escape into the floors above, leaving your basement cold and damp. In fact, poorly insulated basements can easily be 5-15 degrees cooler than the living space above. By installing reflective bubble insulation in your walls and ceilings, you can maintain a more comfortable temperature without relying too heavily on your HVAC system.

Builders construct homes with either an unconditioned or a conditioned basement. Unconditioned basements lack air ducts for heating and cooling. To ensure proper heating, insulate the ceiling of the unconditioned basement with radiant barrier. Doing so will retain heat in the living space, similar to insulating an unheated garage with living space above. In contrast, conditioned basements have ducting for heating and cooling. A conditioned basement demands radiant barrier insulation for its walls and any frame walls within, with the ceiling exempt.

• Prevents Heat From Escaping: maintain a more comfortable temperature by reflecting interior heat back in where it belongs
• Save money on energy bills: achieve better HVAC efficiency by reducing heat gains/losses year-round, in any climate
• Minimizes Buildup of Condensation: create a vapor barrier by taping the seams to preventing buildup of frost and condensation on steel panels

Contrary to misconceptions, radiant barriers can enhance winter insulation efficiency in your attic. Introducing a radiant barrier, placed over attic insulation, minimizes air movement (convective looping) and enhances energy efficiency.

In a ventilated attic setup, air circulates through soffits and exits through vents. This helps maintain a cold roof to prevent issues like ice damming. The problem with this setup is the lack of barrier it creates. There is only sheetrock and a layer of blanket traditional insulation between the warm living space and the cold attic air. Traditional insulation, often fiberglass, allows unrestricted airflow, rendering the R-value ineffective in windy conditions. It is similar to wearing a jacket on a cold, windy day without wind protection. Standing in the open air will make you much colder than standing behind a wind-blocking wall.

Without a top barrier, traditional insulation is less effective in a ventilated attic assembly, susceptible to convective looping. Convective looping is the pumping of air through the attic insulation. It involves cold air displacing warm air in the thermal layer near the sheetrock. When a radiant barrier is used, it becomes a “wind blocking wall” and reflects heat back into the living area and provides a more comfortable living space. Please note: it’s crucial to use perforated radiant barriers in to prevent moisture buildup within the attic insulation. Sealing all holes from lights and fixtures in the ceiling sheetrock is also essential to avoid condensation issues .To find out more about our radiant barrier products for attics, please click here.

In extremely cold climates, the use of a vapor retarder between the sheetrock and thermal insulation, along with proper attic ventilation, helps control humidity levels. Dehumidifiers can also be helpful. Additionally, insulating slabs with a radiant barrier at grade foundation edges is vital to prevent significant heat loss and maintain warmer interior floors during winter. Lastly, thorough air sealing is fundamental to the effectiveness of cold climate insulation strategies. This would involve sealing leaks in our around doors, windows, chimneys, electrical and plumbing penetrations, and baseboards.

In conclusion, radiant barriers, when strategically incorporated into existing insulation systems, can contribute to a warmer and more energy-efficient home during winter. By understanding their role in preventing heat loss and minimizing convective looping, homeowners in cold climates can harness the benefits of radiant barriers to create a comfortable living space in the colder months.