Ask the Expert: Do radiant barriers damage shingles?

By Ken Sheinkopf

Q: When I told my neighbor about the radiant barriers I read about in your column, he said it sounded like this would damage the shingles. What do you think of this?

A: I've been asked this many times before. Obviously, if the heat needs to escape from the attic because it is blocked by the foil material, it will go out through the vents and back through the roof the way it came.

A lot of research has been done on this concern over the years. The basic conclusion is that it is very unlikely that any problems will occur. Studies have found that the temperatures of the shingles on an attic over a radiant barrier are only 2 to 5 °F higher than the temperatures of shingles over an attic without a radiant barrier. Roofing materials are made to withstand high temperatures, so when you're looking at materials already exposed to temperatures of 160 to 190 °F, an increase of up to 5° makes a very small difference.

It's a good question, but when you understand how the radiant barrier system works and what the general attic and roof conditions are, it should be clear that there is no need for concern here.

More information:
Oak Ridge National Lab fact sheet

GreenBuilder.com Sourcebook

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, Seventh Ed.

Bibliography:
Editor's Note: Ken Sheinkopf is Associate Director of the Florida Solar Energy Center. Write to him at 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, FL 32922, or e-mail Sheinkopf@fsec.ucf.edu

REPP does not endorse products and this is not to serve as a scientific or comprehensive analysis of any product.