Foil Insulation

What is Foil Insulation?

Foil Insulation or reflective insulation refers to products comprising of one or more layers of plastic or paper substrates with a reflective facing on one or both sides. The reflective facing is usually a skinny layer of aluminum foil, hence the name foil insulation.

[expander_maker id=”2″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]

How does Foil Insulation work?

Foil or reflective insulation works by taking advantage of aluminum foil and adjacent air space’s high reflectivity and low emissivity properties to create a radiant heat barrier within your home and reduce the radiant heat transfer between outside and inside.

But, very simply put: The sun (radiant heat) beats down on your home and heats your roof tin or tiles, which then start to emit radiant heat into your attic space. The air in your attic space heats up, and eventually, the ceiling of your living space heats up, and the heat then passes into your living space.

Aluminum foil only emits (releases) about 5% or less of the radiant heat that strikes its surface. So when installed next to air space, it will reduce the transfer of radiant heat by up to 97%, thus reducing the heat build-up in your attic space and into your home.

Air Space is vital. Without an air space on one side of reflective foil insulation, the product will have absolutely no insulating value.

Suppose reflective insulation is in contact with other elements of the building. In that case, it will merely transmit the heat energy that strikes it to the other building elements by conduction, so the correct installation of reflective insulation is of paramount importance to its effectiveness.

[/expander_maker]

What is foil insulation used for?

Foil insulation, also called reflective foil insulation, creates a radiant heat barrier alongside an air space. Across our range it does three main jobs: wrapping walls, lining roofs, and forming reflective air-cell layers in floors, sheds and cavities. It suits new builds and renovations where you want to slow radiant heat and, with the right product, add a weather or vapour layer during construction.

What types of foil insulation do you stock?

The range covers several distinct product groups, so it helps to know which one matches your job:

• Wall wraps such as ProctorWrap and Sisalation Tuff Wraps
• Vapour permeable membranes such as Brane VHP and the light duty vapour permeable wall wrap
• Roofing blankets with foil facing such as Bradford Anticon, Fletcher Permastop and Knauf Earthwool roofing rolls
• Reflective air-cell products in the Kingspan Aircell family for walls, floors and sheds
• Rigid foil-faced panels such as Foilboard Green and Kingspan Kooltherm K10 soffit board
• Fire rated options such as Firesark and Ametalin Ceasefire

Whether you need a single foil insulation roll for a small job or full pallets for a build, the range scales to suit.

How do I choose the right foil insulation?

Start with where it is going. For a wall cavity or the outside of a frame, look at wall wraps and vapour permeable membranes. For under a roof, look at foil-faced roofing blankets. For sheds and floors, the reflective air-cell products are built for that use. Where the build calls for a fire rated layer, choose from the products that state a fire rating rather than assuming every foil qualifies.

Then match the duty and the facing to the exposure. Heavier duty wraps handle rougher site conditions, and vapour permeable membranes are chosen when the wall needs to breathe. Every product page lists its own specification, so check the individual product for the detail that matters to your build.

If you are comparing by application rather than material, browse our reflective insulation, roof insulation and wall insulation ranges to narrow things down.

What happens after I choose?

Once you have a shortlist, our team can help you confirm the right product and quantity for your project before you order.

Get a quote or ask a question

For advice on foil insulation for your project, call us on 1300 050 513 or visit our Contact Us page to send an enquiry. We are happy to help you match the right product to your build.