Energy-Saving Sheathing

This product can significantly reduce the energy needed to cool a home.

Scott Branscom: Energy consumption and savings are always at the forefront of my mind in all of my building projects. My clients demanded, so what if I find something that can benefit them, I will try to let you know about it too, it's part of my job. Grant's Thermoblock radiant barrier sheathing is something you might want to take a look at, especially if you consider yourself a green builder. It installs like any other roof sheathing material that has aluminum foil overlay on one side that can prevent up to 97% of the radiant heat in the panel from transferring into the attic space. The simple math on that means that by installing these panels energy used to cool the home in the summer months can be dramatically reduced. This can reduce attic temperatures by as much as 30% according to the manufacturer. Of course, the first question I had was how does it affect my roofing material and what does it do their warranty? The answer is what you would probably expect; it raises their temperature, but only about two to five degrees according to recent studies it doesn't affect most roofing warranties. Check their website for more details, the panels work by blocking radiant heat transfer. They work in conjunction with an attic's insulation, which helps block convection transfer, so it's a total system when installed correctly. According to the manufacturer energy saving do differ from region to region, and will also be affected by the home's design and the occupant interior temperature preferences and local energy cause. What makes sense to me is a product like this can certainly help you maintain a reputation as a green builder, since it's one more thing, you can do to make yours a better, more energy efficient product, and probably the most often asked question is, can I use this product on vaulted ceilings and metal roofs? And the answer is yes. As long as a minimum three quarter inch air space is provided between their foil surface and the insulation. Check out Grant's Thermoblock radiant barrier sheathing when building green is on the top your list. For HGTVPro.com, I am Scott Branscom.