[Bay Kid]

Did anyone add a radiant shield to the rafters?

[GpaVader]

FWIW, we insulated the doors and put a film on the windows and it's made a huge difference. I use the garage as a shop in addition to parking our vehicles in there. Because I paint, I put a split AC unit and the garage is fine. We use the storage above the garage and have not insulated because we are counting on the leaking cool air to moderate the storage above. We debated blowing it in the other areas there but with the platform for storage I wasn't sure I'd even notice a difference.

[Dlbonivich]

Radiant barrier seems to really work in my house. I can withstand going in my attic even now. I have had it in every house I have had in Florida. I think it is worth the money. Never tried to figure out whether it pays for itself.

[mrf0151]

2100 Sq. Ft. home here. SECO bill for June was $108.00. Would the insulation cost be worth it I am wondering??

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by mrf0151

2100 Sq. Ft. home here. SECO bill for June was $108.00. Would the insulation cost be worth it I am wondering??

No.

[CosmicTrucker]

Are you even living in the house with an electric bill that low?

[JRcorvette]

I have done the garage attic area and it’s definitely not worth the money. Insulating the door is a good idea. As for blowing insulation through out the house attic the probably I see is you have no idea if it is being done properly or even completely. They usually send out young kids to do the work. Do not due it in the hot months! Some people have put radiant barrier on the rafters and that will help a lot but it is very expensive! Worth it? Maybe over a long period of time.

[Toymeister]

Multiple studies place radiant barrier savings at 3% of your electric bill during cooling months.

In other words, no it is not economic to install radiant barrier.

[Boffin]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

Multiple studies place radiant barrier savings at 3% of your electric bill during cooling months.

In other words, no it is not economic to install radiant barrier.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, installing radiant barriers into the attic of your home can reduce cooling costs by five to ten percent.

[Boffin]

Originally Posted by jrref

I'm looking for feedback from any Villagers who installed insulation in their garage attic.

Did you notice any difference in the temperature of your garage in the summer or winter here in the Villages? Any pros or cons?

Also, some companies offer what they call insulation refresh in the main home attic where they add an additional 4 or 7 inches of blown in insulation. I'm guessing the amount of insulation in our attic's are probably the minimal to pass code so i'm wondering if we added more blown in insulation to get any spots missed when the house was built and or increase the R value of what's already up there makes any sense. I understand as you increase the amount of insulation you get less benefit but I have to believe even 4 inches of additional insulation just to even out everything has to give some benefit given the Florida hear we experience.

I'm only interested in any additional cooling in the summer and warmth in the winter from additional insulation and NOT looking to save money to recoup the cost.

Any feedback from actual experience doing either would be appreciated.

Current temperature outside my garage is 94 inside garage is 96.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

Multiple studies place radiant barrier savings at 3% of your electric bill during cooling months.

In other words, no it is not economic to install radiant barrier.

This may be true but I can tell you it makes a Huge difference in my home. Our homes in Osceola Hills had this barrier installed when the homes were built at that time. My friend in Fenney doesn't have the barrier and the temperature difference in the attic is significant.

[jrref]

Thanks for all the feedback. From what I can see, if you have the sun beating on your garage doors in the afternoon like I do, Insulating the garage door and tinting the windows if you have them is probably where to spend the money.

When I measure my garage ceiling with an infrared temperature probe I don't see much heat gain coming from the ceiling because my solar attic fans are keeping my attic from super heating. So my guess is the non-insulated garage attic is transferring some of the heat from the garage is going through the ceiling and the fans are blowing the heat out. If I didn't have the fans then the attic would super heat and the garage would get heat gain from the ceiling so then insulation would fix that.

I have R38 in my main attic so adding 4 more inches to make sure it's all leveled out an there are no missed spots will increase it to R50 which will be more than enough. Again, i'm not doing this to save money eventhough there should be some small savings over time but for the piece of mind that the insulation is better than what i have now and it's done correctly. BTW, I know the Solar Guys may be more expensive than hiring a handyman to do the work but I've had them install insulation over my Lanai and they don't hire kids to do the work. They knew what they were doing, I didn't hear any banging in the attic while the work was being done and I could see all the insulation going into the attic. They are also licensed and insured. You get what you pay for.

And shoutout to D'Angelo inspections for their advice!! Thank you!

[daniel200]

Originally Posted by CosmicTrucker

Are you even living in the house with an electric bill that low?

I have a 2000 sq ft home. My June electric bill was $112. My 2022 electric bill was $1233. I live here year around. Heating, water heater and stove are all gas. I have not installed any special insulation anywhere. The only thing, I have done is install a new AC Unit (SEER 16) in 2020 and a smart thermostat. I set the thermostat at 77 in the day and 73 at night. And turn the bedroom ceiling fan on low at night.

[mrf0151]

Originally Posted by CosmicTrucker

Are you even living in the house with an electric bill that low?

Yes we are. Since 2005. kWh usage is down nicely. This new AC system is wonderful!!

[Toymeister]

Originally Posted by jrref

This may be true but I can tell you it makes a Huge difference in my home. Our homes in Osceola Hills had this barrier installed when the homes were built at that time. My friend in Fenney doesn't have the barrier and the temperature difference in the attic is significant.

The attic may very well be cooler however, less than 17% of radiant energy enters from the attic to the home. Heat doesn't radiate downward very much, this should not surprise anyone as heat still rises.

The home is the concern, not the attic.

Radiant barrier can increase shingle life, however, your roof replacement will be dictated by the insurability of your home not the condition of the roof. A sad, but true statement.