Radiant heat barrier
Radiosity 3000 is a paint additive that creates a radiant heat barrier on roofs, ceilings, and walls to reduce cooling costs. It can also be used in interior applications to reflect and trap warm, radiant heat from fireplaces, stoves, or in-floor heating systems. Radiosity 3000 contributes to the thermal comfort levels in both summer and winter months while it reduces energy usage.
Radiosity 3000 reflects infrared radiant energy in two ways:
- outdoors it reflects infra-red energy from the sun rather than absorbing it, and
- indoors it reflects infrared energy back into the home from wood stoves, fireplaces, and hydronic or electric radiant-heated floors.
It's far more efficient to keep unwanted heat out of a home in the summer than to cool it down, and to trap the warmth already there in the winter than to create more heat.
Radiosity 3000 is made entirely of glass and has the consistency of talcum powder — imagine hundreds of thousands of hollow microscopic glass spheres permanently embedded in latex paint. The barrier created by these spheres reflects radiation in the infrared long-wave spectrum and thereby reduces solar gain from the sun.
Radiosity 3000, with its spray-on application, saves both time and money. It's a simple and effective replacement for conventional heat barriers, like bubble wrap with aluminum foil, which is difficult and time-consuming to install especially in existing homes.
In general, radiant heat barriers reduce heating and cooling loads by about 20%. However, it's important to note that actual savings from reduced cooling or heating will vary depending on the heating/cooling systems of a home, as well as how and where the heat barrier is applied. For those using hydronic or electric radiant heat, applying Radiosity 3000 to your walls and ceilings will reflect that heat back into the room reducing the demand on your boiler and reducing heating costs. This will not help if you have forced air heat as it is not radiant heat. Besides saving money, most people notice differences in the overall comfort of their homes after the application of Radiosity 3000.
Why We Like It
It doesn't get any easier or cheaper to reflect the sun's infrared heat and keep it from getting into your home. It's also ideal for trapping radiant heat that's generated inside your home. Even with a forced-air heating system, it makes sense to reflect heat in the winter.
Also, Radiosity is much easier to use in remodeling situations than foil-type barriers because it can be sprayed on existing ceilings or walls, both indoors or outdoors. There's no need to rip out sheet rock or roofing tiles; just add paint and spray it on existing ceilings or walls.
Features & benefits
- Greater comfort — reduces heat gain in summer and keeps heat in during winter
- Easy-to-use — mix product with five gallons of exterior latex or acrylic paint and apply as any paint
- Low cost — about 5¢ per square foot
- Money-saving — saves up to 20-30% in heating and cooling costs
- Versatile — use on any paintable surface inside attic, interior or exterior walls or underneath wall or roofing shingles, garage doors and entry doors; the closer to the heat source the better
- Safe — for everyone, including the chemically sensitive; learn how to test a non-toxic product for tolerance
- Eco-friendly — zero VOC
- Tax credits — may qualify for federal tax credits in 2011; please consult professional tax advice. Although radiant heat barriers are not defined well in the 2009 IEEC code, the 2011 code defines them as "any insulation material or system which is specifically and primarily designed to reduce the heat loss or gain of a dwelling unit when installed in or on such dwelling unit."
Specs
Porous
Surfaces: all
Temperatures: cold
Temperatures: hot
Roller
Spray
Questions & Answers