YellowBlue is proud to announce that its energy-saving products are all American-made. In addition, its Attic Blanket products are state of the art and nothing like your traditional radiant barrier products.
Years ago radiant barrier was introduced to the market as a reflective product designed to be placed under the rafters to help reduce attic heat. It was also touted as a product that was to be used more in hot, sunny climates in an attempt to cool the attic.
The Problem:
Consumers should not be trying to cool or heat their attic. Instead they should be concerned with keeping their existing insulation cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
The Bigger Problem:
Over the years traditional radiant barrier products started being mass-produced in large bulk overseas, with little quality control. Today there is little or no control over what grade type, make, model, brand, etc., are sold by many mom-and-pop operations and even in big-box stores throughout the country.
When buying any reflective attic insulation product a consumer must keep several things in mind, including moisture, fire and emissivity (the reflectivity of the product).
- Moisture: Your attic can be a breeding ground for moisture. In addition to humidity and roof leaks, it easily can collect water that is caused by condensation when hot and cold mix. Many attics have 50-80 gallons of water transferred through them yearly. Traditional barrier products have the tendency to trap moisture when overlapped, creating mold, mildew and problems that can make your home sick and your attic age faster than it should.
- Fire: One of the most dangerous places a fire can start is in your attic. Many attics have heating and cooling units, hot water heaters and most of the homes’ electrical wiring. Any barrier product should not burn. However, the problem is that most traditional barrier products will not only burn, but can be a fire accelerant as well. Also, attics often are used to store items such as clothes, toys, etc., that can accelerate the fire even more.
- Reflectivity: It is a scientific fact that 99.9% aluminum will reflect 97% of all radiant heat transfer. Many of the imported products are not high-quality aluminum and are sold at bargain basement prices. Even if they are made of higher quality aluminum, they are only partially effective for warm areas only.
The Solution … Reflective Insulation!
Today, through modern technology and American-based engineering and manufacturing there is a solution that works year-round. YellowBlue’s multi-layered Attic Blanket products are specifically designed to work in cold winter climates as well as hot sunny climates, potentially saving many consumers money year-round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although YellowBlue’s Attic Blanket products are not cheap, when deciding on insulation for your attic you get what you pay for. YellowBlue’s Attic Blanket products are specifically engineered and designed to cover existing insulation like a space blanket. They block radiant heat from your existing insulation, keeping it cooler in the summer so your cooling unit doesn’t run as often. In the winter they do just the opposite, stopping radiant heat from escaping into your attic.
Traditional radiant barrier is not considered insulation because it provides no R-value. Yellow Blue’s Attic Blanket products are considered to be insulation because the center core layers add an additional “R” value to help with convection and conduction heat. This provides extra protection year-round and promotes insulation that is warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. This keeps your unit from running as often, conserving energy and saving money.
The center core also helps avoid any moisture issues. YellowBlue’s Attic Blanket products have extremely high perm ratings. The specifically designed size and placement of the perforations allows YellowBlue’s Attic Blanket products to breathe even when overlapped. This avoids any moisture buildup and minimizes any chance of mold and mildew, which traditional radiant barriers are known for.
Lastly, there is a “myth” that laying attic blanket over existing insulation will collect dust and reduce its emissivity (reflectivity), which would make the attic blanket ineffective. This is only a myth; the properties of the product itself block the radiant heat transfer. If reflectivity were desired, why not just put mirrors in your attic and clean them ever so often?
The truth is that many studies have shown that reflective aluminum material covered with dust still reflects radiant heat and is only, at the most, reducing the reflectivity by 8%. So, that would mean instead of reflecting 97% of the radiant heat you go down to 89% of the radiant heat with sand-covered reflective materials, according to James Hall PE and the Tennessee Valley Authority Dust Project.
YellowBlue’s commitment to handle only American-made products that are UL fire-rated with long-term warranties and energy-saving guarantees proves to be a wise decision in line with our core values.
While many companies are in a race to the bottom, YellowBlue continues to stand out as the “Best in the World” in the business with a mission to help homeowners and businesses conserve energy, save money and protect the environment!
