| Reflective insulation in a building is used to offer | | | | mechanical ventilation will be needed to maintain human |
| thermal insulation. Thermal insulation guarantees | | | | comfort. High humidity may result to lack of airflow or |
| thermal comfort to the occupants of a building during | | | | condensation. Moisture on the other hand may reduce |
| both winter and summer. Heat flows from a warm to | | | | the effectiveness of reflective insulation by creating a |
| a cool place by default. During winter, heat flows from | | | | thermal bridge. |
| the warm indoors towards the cold outdoors. In | | | | Reflective insulation works most efficiently during hot |
| summer the reverse is true. Reflective insulation is | | | | conditions. During summer, solar radiation forms the |
| designed to resist both these heat flows. | | | | greatest source of heat energy. The energy can either |
| Basically, reflective insulation is designed to reduce | | | | enter the buildings through windows and other similar |
| unwanted heat loss or gain and decrease the energy | | | | accesses, or heat the building shell to high |
| demands of heating and cooling. Insulation involves the | | | | temperatures hence increasing heat transfer through |
| building designs and techniques aimed at addressing | | | | the building envelopes and increasing the building |
| the main modes of heat transfer that is radiation and | | | | temperatures. To reduce these high temperatures, |
| convection materials. | | | | solar gain should be reduced through either light |
| During the winter the goal of insulation is to reduce | | | | colored roofing, paints, coating or insulation. The |
| heat flow out of the building. The building envelope that | | | | convection is normally weak for downwards heat flow |
| is the windows, doors roofs, walls and air infiltration | | | | while the radiation dominates the heat transfer across |
| barriers are crucial avenues of heat loss. However, | | | | an air space. Insulation helps in radiating the heated air |
| with the right insulation many of these heat loss | | | | back to the upper building envelopes thus maintaining a |
| avenues are transformed into sources of heat | | | | cool in the lower parts of the building. |
| conservation. Reflective insulation incorporates air | | | | How well an insulation works in resisting heat flow |
| spaces as part of the system to retard the | | | | depends mainly on where and how the it is placed and |
| convective flow of heated air thus maintaining warm | | | | how much material is used. Insulation enriched with |
| temperatures inside the room. It is important to note | | | | aluminum or air space offers the best barrier to heat |
| that the less natural airflow into a building the more | | | | flows. |