As you might recall, right after we bought our house, we hired a company to add insulation and radiant barrier to our attic. Insulation is self-explanatory. Radiant barrier is a special kind of foil (or paint, but the foil is more effective) that reflects attic heat away from the living area. With most installations, the foil creates a very hot area just under the roof and a significantly cooler area between the foil and the attic floor, the area where you might store your Christmas decorations. By making this area cooler, it reduces the amount of work that the AC units have to perform, saving power and money. Today, one on of the hottest days of the summer, I used my wireless temperature sensor to test our RB’s effectiveness.

First, I set the sensor in the cooler section of the attic, on the floor beneath the foil. The temperature stablized around 106 F. Then I set it on the bottom of the foil (there’s a small hole for access/testing). Above the foil the temperature was 136.8 F, a difference of nearly 31 degrees.

I don’t have any way to accurately measure how much money we saved with the insulation and radiant barrier, but I have no doubt that it’s significant. We also have no problem keeping the second story cool in all rooms. I sleep like a baby up there. So if you’re looking for ways to save money, seriously consider insulation and radiant barrier.

Here are a couple of pictures of the new attic.