Evaluation of the Thermal Performance of Radiant Barrier in Heating and Cooling Load Reduction of Residential Buildings

The objective of this study is to quantify the effects of radiant barrier system on heating and cooling loads in residential buildings. To achieve this objective, two identical buildings located in LA, one with a radiant barrier system and one without a radiant barrier system, were instrumented with thermocouples and heat flux transducers. Data were collected for eight months to determine the amount of energy savings gained by installing the radiant barrier in the attic. A 3D transient Finite Element (FE) model was developed to predict the attic temperature profile. This model was validated based on experimental measurements. Results showed that radiant barrier reduced the integrated heat flows from the attic to the house by approximately 18% and reduced heating loads by 6%. A parametric study was conducted to formulate a simple regression model that can be used to predict the temperature of the attic insulation.