3 Months after Installation & Already Saving $80-$100 in Energy Costs
Location: North Carolina, USA
Problem: Attic temperatures were high, and the electric bill was even higher.
Solution: AtticFoil™ Radiant Barrier was installed to block the heat in the summer and cool the house down overall.
Results/Update: AtticFoil™ began working immediately and the house cools more easily while the savings keep racking up.
In their own words:
I live in Raleigh NC. My house is 3,500 sq ft and I have 2 attics, one for the main part of the house and one for the extension. I ordered 2 rolls of 1,000 sq ft each, hoping that would be enough. I did the job in April/May time frame when it was cooler in the attic. I bought an indoor/outdoor thermometer and put the outdoor piece in the attic so I could see what the temperature got to. The main attic was floored, so it made it easier to put up the AtticFoil. For the most I did the job on my own, dealing with an 8ft x 4ft piece is awkward for 1 person anything bigger is not manageable, this size though is a breeze for 2 people. The extension part of the attic was not floored, I purchased 28 ft x 4 ft piece of plywood and cut them into 4 4ft x 2 ft pieces and laid them across the joists. I also purchased a lamp for $10 and a new stapler with an easy squeeze trigger.
While I was doing the job, I recorded temperatures in the attic of 115 degrees. The entire job took me 2 full weeks, starting in the morning and at first finishing around 1pm as it was just too hot. The more of the attic I got covered, the longer I was able to stay up there. I am continuing to record the temperatures and so far (and it is now mid June), the max temperature I have noted in the attic is 99, the outside temperature was 92. I have noticed that it does not take as long to cool the house to a temperature of 74 degrees, even if it is in the mid 90s outside (I do have lots of trees that help but last year the A/C unit was on much longer). It is really easy to put AtticFoil up, don’t get put off, you will finish the job (I do Computer Programming as my career and am not what you’d call DIY handy). Change Stanley knife blades as soon as the cut doesn’t completely cut the f oil. I wanted the AtticFoil to look like I had put up wallpaper (I know its just me), but it doesn’t matter whether it looks pretty, you do not generally give people a tour of your attic (although I have been doing that recently).
It is really easy to put AtticFoil up, don’t get put off, you will finish the job (I do Computer Programming as my career and am not what you’d call DIY handy). Change Stanley knife blades as soon as the cut doesn’t completely cut the f oil. I wanted the AtticFoil to look like I had put up wallpaper (I know its just me), but it doesn’t matter whether it looks pretty, you do not generally give people a tour of your attic (although I have been doing that recently). I got a quote to install a radiant barrier (much less quality material) of $3,500. The entire job (including the 10,000 staples) cost me $450. I will recover this entire amount in 2014 (May – September) as my bills appear to be $80-$100 lower so far. I have no idea what this will do to my winter heating bills, we’ll see. One added benefit, I no longer whack my head on the joists in the attic or fear getting pierced by the nails from the roof!
