I keep studying different applications of radiant barrier, insulation, thermal mass, "passive solar' designs, etc., and I keep coming to the same conclusion:
Most of the attributes that sound desirable, only apply to half the year - and sound undesirable to the opposite season!
In other words, Radiant Barrier shields the sun from heating your attic, (and therefore your house)
Well, that sounds great in the summertime, but you actually WANT this in the winter, right?
So by installing it, you're losing heat when you want it, not just when you don't want it.
So it sounds to me like a wash.
Same with thermal mass.
I've read statements that seem to lend magical properties to thermal mass:
If I'm reading an article in the summer, they all describe thermal mass as keeping your house cool, because it's giving off cool energy it has stored in the night.
If I'm reading an article in the winter, they all say the thermal mass is re-radiating heat it has absorbed during the day.
Well kids, if it's radiating heat from the sun during the winter and heating your house up, you can be damn sure it's doing the same thing in the summer!
Am I missing something here?
I see multiple enviro-myths going on here.
Most of the attributes that sound desirable, only apply to half the year - and sound undesirable to the opposite season!
In other words, Radiant Barrier shields the sun from heating your attic, (and therefore your house)
Well, that sounds great in the summertime, but you actually WANT this in the winter, right?
So by installing it, you're losing heat when you want it, not just when you don't want it.
So it sounds to me like a wash.
Same with thermal mass.
I've read statements that seem to lend magical properties to thermal mass:
If I'm reading an article in the summer, they all describe thermal mass as keeping your house cool, because it's giving off cool energy it has stored in the night.
If I'm reading an article in the winter, they all say the thermal mass is re-radiating heat it has absorbed during the day.
Well kids, if it's radiating heat from the sun during the winter and heating your house up, you can be damn sure it's doing the same thing in the summer!
Am I missing something here?
I see multiple enviro-myths going on here.