Some studies show that radiant barriers can reduce cooling costs 5 to 10 when used in a warm sunny climate.
Attic air barrier.
Radiant barriers are utilized to reduce summer heat gain in attics and help to improve the efficiency of green building envelopes.
A good building will have control layers that control the flows of heat air and moisture.
Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation.
Just because a failure in the air control layer air barrier shows up in the heat control layer insulation doesn t mean it s the fault of the insulation.
The reduced heat gain may even allow for a smaller air conditioning system.
Hey i ve bashed fiberglass here in this blog.
Exterior air barriers control infiltration of exterior air into the wall cavity and through the attic limit the ability of moist outdoor air to enter the wall cavity during the cooling season and prevent wind washing of wall insulation i e even though a house tests tight on the interior it could have a leaky exterior wall and top plate that cause big energy losses.