Insulation is vital to your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. Proper insulation allows your home to maintain an ideal temperature and helps you spend less money to keep your home comfortable.
If you live in a hot climate, you likely want your insulation to prevent hot air from flowing into your home, retain cool air, and cut your air conditioning expenses. You may also want your insulation to retain heat during colder months. One great solution is radiant barrier plywood.
What is Radiant Barrier Plywood?
Radiant barrier plywood is a type of insulation specifically meant for your roof. Radiant barrier plywood’s reflective qualities prevent the sun’s rays from striking and heating your home. This insulation reduces your home’s radiant heat gain to keep it cool while outdoor temperatures are high.
Without radiant barrier plywood, the sun’s radiant energy heats your roof. That heat travels into your attic via conduction and raises indoor temperature. Radiant barrier plywood reflects the sun’s rays before they heat the roof, thus maintaining your cool indoor temperature.
We’ll cover everything you need to know about radiant barrier plywood, from the materials it consists of to its installation process.
Material Needed for Radiant Barrier Plywood
Radiant barrier plywood insulation consists of two primary materials—engineered plywood panels and reflective material, such as aluminum foil. The plywood has a thin layer of reflective material on one side, and that side faces inward toward your attic.
Points to Remember Before Installing Radiant Barrier Plywood
Before you install a radiant plywood barrier, there are a couple of points to note. First, radiant barrier plywood is primarily beneficial for homes in hotter climates, as it effectively reduces radiant heat gain and keeps your home at a cool indoor temperature. While a radiant barrier can help with heat retention to some level, other forms of insulation are better for keeping homes warm during cold winters.
Next, you can likely install radiant barrier plywood over your existing insulation rather than choosing one or the other. If you struggle to keep your home at the ideal temperature and find it too hot and cold during different seasons, pairing radiant barrier plywood with insulation like batt and roll may be the solution.
Finally, while it is possible to install a radiant barrier on your own, it’s best to hire a professional installation. Installing plywood with a radiant barrier is especially difficult and can lead to numerous issues if you aren’t precise and experienced. Poor ventilation, heat, wiring, and tight spaces can cause problems during the installation process, and imperfect installation can lead to mold or an inefficient radiant barrier.
Radiant Barrier Plywood Installation Process
In case you’re wondering how to install radiant barrier plywood, we’ll walk you through the steps our experts at Attic Project take to ensure proper installation.
- During the construction of your home or a roof replacement, we’ll take note of the surface area to ensure we have the correct amount of plywood panels. We’ll then prepare the radiant barrier plywood sheathing for installation.
- Next, we’ll arrange the radiant barrier plywood panels on top of your roof truss. We’ll ensure that the reflective aluminum faces down toward your attic and that there is the appropriate space between each panel.
- We’ll then nail each panel on top of your roof truss, ensuring they are in the ideal place according to your roof’s dimensions.
- Finally, we’ll cover the radiant barrier plywood with shingle underlayment or roofing felt to prevent moisture damage.
During our installation process, we take precautions to ensure that your radiant barrier plywood and everyone involved with its installation is safe. Our knowledge of the field and experience in practice allows us to install your radiant barrier plywood efficiently and professionally. If you decide to install radiant barrier plywood without professional help, consult an experienced installer and get help from family and friends to ensure your safety throughout the process.
Is it Worth Installing Radiant Barrier Plywood on Your Roof?
There are two main scenarios in which radiant barrier plywood installation may benefit you and your home. First, your home is constantly hotter than you desire, and setting a low temperature doesn’t do the trick. Second, you spend too much on monthly electricity bills due to high air conditioner usage.
If you’re trying to keep a low and cool indoor temperature, there are other methods you can try before installing radiant barrier plywood. Utilizing ceiling fans to circulate cool air, using dark shades to block sunlight, and keeping hot appliance usage to a minimum may help. However, installing radiant barrier plywood is worth it if you’ve already tried these techniques or if they seem like a hassle.
Radiant barrier plywood installation is also worth the cost if you’re paying high monthly energy bills to keep the air conditioning running. A radiant barrier will increase your home’s energy efficiency, so you may save more money on energy bills than you pay for installation.
Cost to Install Radiant Barrier Plywood
The radiant barrier plywood cost varies for each company and each installation. On average, the total radiant barrier plywood insulation cost is around $1,700. However, that number can range anywhere from $700 to $3,000.
Installation costs typically range from $30 to $80 per hour, depending on the company.
Installing radiant barrier plywood is worth the cost for those in hotter climates. You could save an estimated 10% on your energy bills annually, making installation a worthy investment.
Radiant Barrier Plywood Installation from Attic Projects
Attic Projects offers professional radiant barrier plywood installation that will increase your home’s comfort and energy efficiency. When you’re ready to stay cool throughout the year, Attic Projects has the solutions. Contact us by phone or stop by our office to learn more about insulating your attic.
Call Attic Projects to get a free quote today!