Radiant Barrier - Arlington,TX

The type of roof we have would not work well with a radiant barrier, but we added insulation and got an attic vent fan replaced a couple years ago. It brought electric bills down some and the biggest difference is that the upstairs will actually stay at 73 before the insulation it used to be 80 upstairs even with the unit running all day.

I just finished researching this issue myself. We decided against the radiant barrier because it can sometimes interfere with wireless and cell phone reception. We can't have that, or my husband would never be able to work from home. Also, an electrician friend shared horror stories with my husband about attics he's seen where the radiant barrier paint got all over everything, wiring, circuits, thermostats and messed stuff up or where it reacted badly with the glue in the plywood and caused it to deteriorate. I must say, I had never heard of such problems myself in all the research I did and in asking people who had the radiant barrier installed, but he's a trustworthy person. We are about to have spray foam insulation put in, and I hope it will help keep the attic cooler!

I had vent roofing put in when my roof was being replaced and that has been a blessing. Reduced my summer bill almost 100 dollars.

We had the sheet radiant barrier added when we last did the roof. We've switched electric companies since last summer, so not really sure about the savings yet, but the house is cooler. The AC doesn't seem to run as often and DD's room doesn't get as hot as it used to.

We added more insulation instead as well as completely removing the heat pumps, ac furnace and ducts and it made a world of difference.

We built our house in 2000 and we did the complete overhaul/upgrade of the AC and furnace in 2005 (appx $20,000) but worth it. The builder used 2 units that were not big enough to support our house. We had electric bills averaging $700.

After we re-did everything, we added a lot more insulation as well. Since we did this, we've had no electric bill over $400. We are not stingy with the AC system, etc... The thermostat is never higher than 78 in the summer, most of the time, we keep it on 75.

As for radiant barrier, we thought hard about that. After speaking with our AC guy (very trustworthy), and other sources, we found out that sometimes the radiant barrier will void a roof warranty.

SO, before you do it, make sure it will not void the warranty on your roof.

Good luck.

My husband's company, Bell A/C, does install it. From all the reviews of our homeowners, their electric bills have lowered. ALso, it helps keep the warm in your house during the winter and cool air in during the summer. Feel free to contact my husband, Greg Bell, at ###-###-#### with any question you have. I know he'll give you an honest answer. Since we are a family-owned business, we don't charge as much as some of the bigger companies. If you mention you saw this on Mamapedia, he'll give you a 10% discount. Good Luck!

We added it when building in 2005. i am so hot natured and we keep our house at 70-73 year around. i dont know if our house was built super energy efficient but our utilitly bills generally run under $200 for 1900sqft. in august sometimes they go to 220 but that is one month a year. winter/spring/fall $120 is normal. and that includes gas. i swear by radiant barrier but as i said, my house could also be very well insulated. i dont think its a waste! good luck!

We had the "spray on" radiant barrier added along with extra insulation. We did this when one of the local companies had it on sale 1/2 price and included free insulation. I can't remember how much we paid - we added it last summer. We have noticed a difference in how hot the attic is. Our electric bills are relatively low (I live with someone who is VERY energy conscious) anyway - rarely over $250 for about 3000 sq.ft. Of course, we have many energy saving measures in effect.

We already had insulation and last January added the true sheeted radiant barrier and we love it. Our upstairs AC runs a lot less and the house is more comfortable. We used Pirate Roofing and they were quick and reasonable.

We have had Eagle Shield radiant barrier for over 15 years except over the living room/dining room (no attic space). We are so glad we did it and it has helped a lot. You can actually walk with arms outstretched from bedroom toward living room and tell where it stops. We have had guests do this and they feel it. It is like wearing sunscreen on one arm and not the other and then walk out into the sun. You feel it on your skin-that is also why sunscreen is so important, esp. on your face. My house is 2400sf. and I like it on 74 at night, 77 daytime and our electric bill is 239 a month. It never interfers with our cable, internet or cell phones anywhere in the house. But ours is the perferated sheeting that lays down like a blanket on top of the insulation already in the attic.

My best friend did this (she lives in Ft Worth). She says she thinks they wasted their money. There was a little savings, but nothing significant. And they think whatever savings they got were because they added more insulation, not because of the radiant barrier.

We did ours through EAS. It has been wonderful! We also added 12 inches of insulation and added some vents. This summer at the hottest, I have reduced my monthly usage 250 kw. The highest bill so far has been $130 and I have an electric dryer and gas water heater. I have noticed a big difference in the temperature my garage and it gets the afternoon sun. We have a 1400 sq ft home and it was about $2500 with the insulation and vents. It has made a big difference for us and we would recommend it.
For full disclosure, we did add brand new doublepaned vinyl windows in March. My kitchen which is on the west side has been noticably cooler.