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Radiant Insulation: Reflective Insulations and Radiant Barriers Dramatically Reduce Heat Flow Across Open Spaces

Reflective insulations and radiant barriers are characterized by high-reflectance / low-emittance aluminum foils mounted on substrates such as polyethylene bubbles or paper. Low-emittance surfaces limit the rate at which radiant heat leaves a surface while high reflectance surfaces limit the amount of incident radiant heat that is absorbed.

The radiant heat given off by a surface at a given temperature is related directly to the surface emittance. The rate at which radiant heat leaves a surface can be calculated from well-established mathematical relationships. Radiant heat transfer across enclosed air spaces is significantly reduced by the installation of a low-emittance surface to form a reflective insulation system. The results of example calculations for a typical installation is shown below: