Energy Efficient Roofs That Save Energy and Money are Made Easy With Therma-Comfort Reflective Insulation

Why insulate your roof?

Energy efficient roofs are the most critical element of your home or business to insulate. Proper installation of a good roof insulation will not only make your home more comfortable, it will drastically reduce your monthly utility bills.

Because heat rises, in the winter it is important to have a roofing insulation that will not allow the heat to leave the house. During the summer months, the heat can get trapped in the roof or attic and will reduce the ability to keep your house cool. Also, it is important to make sure your roof is properly ventilated to allow moisture and condensation to escape.

The most energy efficient roofs are carefully planned, measured, and assessed. Every roof is individual and distinct. Many factors are involved in choosing the best insulation for your roof. The size, shape, slope, style, and location all factor into your ultimate decision. Flat roof insulation provides a very different result from cathedral ceiling insulation. The installation process must be considered. Will it be easy or complicated? Messy or clean? Quick or prolonged over a day or two? A beautifully simple answer to all these questions is Reflective Insulation. It is quick, clean, easy to install, and is a great roofing insulation.

How will reflective insulation help?

There are many roofing insulations and roofing materials on the market that will decently insulate your roof. Fiberglass is commonly used in roofs and attics, but often multiple layers of batting must be placed in the roof to provide an adequate R-value (Thermal Resistance). Fiberglass can be difficult to use. It is uncomfortable, bulky, and extremely irritating to the skin, lungs, and eyes. Also, it requires multiple steps of measuring, cutting, caulking, taping, and laying a vapor barrier and radiant barrier. Blown-In insulations and foams are also an option for roof insulation. These roofing materials are difficult to install and it is recommended that the installation be done by professionals. It requires a special machine to blow the cellulose, fiberglass, or rockwool. Depending on the amount of thermal resistance you want, the shape of your roof, and whether or not it is finished or unfinished, blown-in insulation can be difficult, at best, when the materials are dry, or downright messy with dampened materials. All options serve a purpose and require a great deal of consideration.

It is important to remember that the more money you spend on energy efficient roofs, the higher will be the thermal resistance or R-value. You can add layer upon layer of insulation to your roof or attic to increase the R-value, but you will get to a point that the R-value will not increase no matter the number of layers.

Despite the common use of fiberglass, cellulose, and foam as roofing materials, reflective insulation will create the most energy efficient roof to meet all your heating and cooling needs in a quick, easy, and cost effective manner.

What is reflective insulation?

Reflective insulation, or radiant barrier, is a special technology of air bubbles surrounded by aluminum foil on both sides perfect for creating energy efficient roofs. This foil protects against all solar-generated heat that is radiated down into the house by the roof. Its foil is what makes it such an amazing barrier against radiant heat loss or gain, therefore making it great for energy efficient roofs.

There are three methods of heat transfer: Conduction, Convection, and Radiation. Radiant heat is the largest source of energy loss or gain in your home or office. In the summertime up to 90% of all heat is gained due to radiant heat flow. And in the winter, up to 75% of the heat is lost because of radiant heat flow. Reflective insulation reflects 97% of radiant heat, thus preventing heat loss or gain through your roof or attic.

Reflective insulation also acts as a vapor barrier to protect against condensation and moisture which cause mold, mildew, and fungus on drywall and wood, or rust on steel and metal. If you have fiberglass in your roof, moisture can collect in the fiberglass. This not only decreases the R-value of the insulation, the fiberglass becomes a heat conductor which defeats the whole purpose of insulation in the first place.

Why is Therma-Comfort the best option for Reflective Insulation?

An excellent alternative to fiberglass is Therma-Comfort reflective insulation. Therma-Comfort is a unique system of materials made of layers of insulating, heat sealed air bubbles encased by a 99% pure aluminum foil outer surface. This combination of sealed bubbles inside the aluminum delivers a highly effective method of insulating all structures from houses to barns to steel buildings to concrete industrial buildings to energy efficient roofs.

Radiant heat is the largest source of energy loss or gain, and Therma-Comfort reflective insulation reflects 97% of radiant heat. Not only is it a radiant barrier, it is also a vapor barrier. Therma-Comfort Foil Double Bubble Foil (FDBF) is recommended for roofing insulation. Therma-Comfort has an absolutely 0.000 water vapor permeance.

The R-value of fiberglass can be increased with the addition of inches upon inches of uncomfortable, irritating batts. Reflective insulation is significantly thinner, more lightweight, and easier to install. It causes no irritation to the skin and eyes.

The R-value of reflective insulation, which is determined by the direction of the heat flow, can be up to R14.6, as opposed to fiberglass' R-value of 3.1 to 4.2.

Therma-Comfort is a product committed to providing our customers with energy efficient roofs that will stand the test of time and significantly cut down monthly energy bills. We stand behind our Therma-Comfort roofing materials. We are happy and excited to answer any questions that you might have concerning your insulation needs. We are committed to providing the best service and support so that you can stay toasty warm in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer. Please call us at (951) 675-1207 for a price quote or advice on which Therma-Comfort product will best suit your roofing needs.