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How Reflective Insulation Technology Works

There are three ways that heat is transferred from a warm area to a cooler area:

• Conduction
• Convection
• Radiation (infrared)
  Don't confuse ionizing radiation with infrared(heat) radiation. All objects above absolute zero (-460 F) give off infrared radiation. Only objects that contain radioactive materials give off ionizing radiation.

Of these three transfer methods Radiation is the most important. Unfortunately most homes and business are not built to block heat transfer by radiation. Conventional bulk insulation only works well stopping Conduction. Now thanks to spin-off technology from the US Space Program, effective low cost methods of stopping the radiation heat transfer is now possible. Several types of reflective insulations are available commercially.

The effectiveness of a reflective material is expressed as its reflectivity. The higher the reflectivity the better its performance. You can expect 80% to 98% reflectivity for modern reflective insulations.

Different materials are better for different applications. Aluminum Foil composites are excellent for many uses while spray on products are better suited for other applications.

Experiments You Can Do:

Hold a piece six by six inch(15 cm) or larger piece of kitchen aluminum foil close to your face. You will feel your face get hot. Why? Your face is radiating heat to the cooler surroundings until you place the aluminum foil between you and and the surroundings. Now the radiation is reflected back to your face causing it to feel warm.

Hold your hand in the sun or under a bright lamp. Feel the heat on your hand? It is from the radiation. Now hold the piece of foil between the light and your hand so that your hand is shaded. Doesn't it feel cooler?

Standard Kitchen Foil works great for some applications like cooking, but we don't recommend it for most applications. Consider using a plastic reinforced foil that is resistant to tears such as ReflecTech's Astro-Foil line of products.

For more detailed information on Reflective Insulation Technology:

Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) Handbook on Reflective Insulation