frequently Asked Questions


	ComfortGuard is a double sided, tri-laminated foil placed in an air space to block radiant heat transfer between a heat radiating surface (such as a hot roof) and a heat absorbing surface (such as conventional attic insulation). The ComfortGuard can also block radiant heat transfer in winter between warmer interior materials (such as your furniture, interior walls, and your body) and heat absorbing surfaces (such as cold exterior walls, ceilings, and floors).


	The benefits of putting ComfortGuard in your attic include both increased comfort and dollar savings. In summer, without ComfortGuard, your roof radiates solar generated heat to the insulation below it. The insulation absorbs the heat and gradually transfers it to the material it touches principally, the ceiling, which then radiates heat into your home. This heat transfer makes your air conditioner run longer and consume more electricity. In winter, without ComfortGuard, a substantial portion of your heat (and comfort) passes through your attic and is lost. ComfortGuard may save even more energy and cooling dollars by increasing your personal comfort. During the mild spring and autumn seasons, outdoor air temperatures are comfortable much of the time. Yet solar energy still heats up your roof, insulation, attic air and ceiling to temperatures that can make you uncomfortably warm inside your home. Many people find that an attic with ComfortGuard can help you stay more comfortable without the heating or air conditioning costs during mild weather. You may also find that the ComfortGuard can expand the use of space in your home. For instance, un-insulated, unconditioned spaces such as garages, porches and workrooms can be more comfort able with the installation of ComfortGuard. Because ComfortGuard keeps attics cooler, the space is more usable for storage.


	ComfortGuard can be attached to the underside of the floor joist, which will reflect the winter time heat back into the house for warmer floors. It is particularly effective in increasing the comfort levels (the temperature of the floors) in a home in the winter time.


	Aluminum (the operative material in ComfortGuard) has two physical properties of interest here. First, it reflects thermal radiation very well. Second, it emits (gives off) very little heat. In other words, aluminum is a good heat reflector and a poor heat radiator. Here’s an easy to remember example to help you understand how ComfortGuard works: Your grandmother probably made use of these properties through "kitchen physics." She covered the Thanksgiving turkey with a loose "tent" of aluminum foil before she put it in the oven. The foil reflected the oven's thermal radiation, so the meat cooked as evenly on top as on the bottom. She removed the foil briefly to let the skin brown, but when she took the bird from the oven, she "tented" it with foil again. Since aluminum doesn't emit much heat, the turkey stayed hot until the rest of the meal was ready. Grandma cooking a turkey in her oven is an apt comparison to an attic installed with ComfortGuard – the same principles of physics are involved: 1. Heat radiated by the roof is reflected in the summer 2. Heat normally lost through your ceiling in the winter is retained.


	Energy savings you experience from the installation of ComfortGuard depends on the amount of heat transfer the roof, attic, ceilings, and walls contribute to your home's heating and cooling load. ("Heating and cooling load," or HVAC load, refers to the total amount of heat your heating and air conditioner must remove to maintain comfortable temperatures.) However, various university, private, and government agencies have measured and reported that ComfortGuard can reduce heat gain and loss through ceilings and walls by over 45%, and can save from 20-35% or more on heating and cooling costs in uninhabited test laboratory environments. Field testimonials of higher savings appear to be due to thermal comfort enhancements that may allow adjustments to the thermostat to be made.


	No, you're installing a shield against radiated not convective heat. Small tears and holes will not significantly lessen the performance of ComfortGuard, so don't worry if it must be cut and patch around obstructions such as vent stacks and truss supports.


	While some conventional batt-type insulations have an aluminum foil backing, it's probably not a good idea to simply flip your insulation over to use it like ComfortGuard. You may create an unwanted secondary vapor barrier, and you may also encounter a fire hazard in the glue that bonds the foil to the batting.


	It's extremely unlikely. The Florida Solar Energy Center has measured the temperatures of roof shingles above ComfortGuard on hot, sunny summer days. Depending on the color of the shingles, their peak temperatures are only 2-5° F higher than the temperature of shingles under the same conditions without ComfortGuard. Roofing materials are manufactured to withstand the high temperatures to which they are frequently exposed. A 2-5° F increase in peak temperatures that normally reach 160-190° F should have no adverse affect.


	Shingle warranties should not be subject to cancellation by the manufacturer on the basis of the ComfortGuard installation.


	This will not provide a shield against radiated heat. Remember, to work properly ComfortGuard must be installed facing an airspace. If there is no airspace, the foil acts 'as a conductor and quickly passes heat by conduction from a hot surface to a cooler one.


	Absolutely not! This reflected heat has always been in the attic, it simply was not reflected back out prior to your installation of Heat. In fact, your ceiling will be much cooler, and your roof deck only 2 to 5 degrees warmer due to this reflection of infrared heat.


	Absolutely not! The existing wiring, ductwork, etc. in your attic has much more metal, mass, and weight than ComfortGuard, yet they do not act as lightning rods.


	The ComfortGuard is made of quality aluminum and should last during the lifetime of the building. Aluminum combines readily with oxygen to form a non-progres sive oxide of a fixed amount. This means that when a thin coating of aluminum-oxide forms, the chemical action stops. A film of this oxide, generally invisible, normally covers the metal. This film protects the aluminum form most chemical attack, and is impervious to many reagents. Most important of all, it protects against further attack by oxygen itself, which is ever present in the air, slowly burning up or OXIDIZING, minerals as well as organic matter. It is often necessary to mix ALLOYS with aluminum, for structural or other purposes, sometimes even at the price of corrosion. But high-quality ComfortGuard is made from unadulterated aluminum - at least 99% pure – and is always covered and protected with aluminum oxide. Prof. Wilkes of M.I.T., in Vol. 31 No.7 of Industrial and Engineer ing Chemistry, wrote on page 837: "The author exposed aluminum foil for 30 days in a furnace at a temperature of 1050 degrees Fahrenheit and to the eye, the surface changed to a dull gray; but the emissivity at room temperature increased only from 0.05 to 0.075 and it still would have made an effective insulator. The conductance value for a vertical air space faced with this gray surface would be only about 5 percent greater than with new aluminum foil.


	Yes. Most wall installations of ComfortGuard are installed while the house is under construction, due to the complications of attempting to retrofit a wall ComfortGuard system to an existing wall.


	That would depend greatly on the specific construction details of that warehouse. In some cases, ComfortGuard can be attached to the underside of the support structure of the roof while maintaining a air space on both sides. In some cases ComfortGuard


	No. ComfortGuard can be installed in a similar manner as in a residence or in any manner where strength is not a primary considera tion, the residential grade product can be used successfully..


	Regardless of the percent of total coverage that can be reached, every square foot of properly installed ComfortGuard will lessen the effects of radiant heat gain and loss in the covered area. If only 50% of the roof can be covered, only 50% of the cost is involved, and 50% of the benefits realized. Proportionately, it makes just as much sense to cover 1/4, 1/ 2, or 3/4 of a roof as it does to cover the whole roof, which would be the most preferable.


	Although rodents may chew a one or two square inch hole through ComfortGuard to gain entrance, just as they will through a sheetrock wall, they will not eat or consume the product, and the small hole that they may create in proportion to the total coverage will not noticeably effect its performance.


	Of course a metallic foil will conduct electricity. However, if bare wires are currently exposed in your attic, we strongly advise you call an electrician to fix that problem, rather than decide you shouldn't enjoy the benefits of ComfortGuard because you have an existing problem. This gives you an ideal opportunity to solve those problems.


	The ideal air space is one of at least 3/4 of an inch on both sides of ComfortGuard. Air spaces of less than 3/4 of an inch will proportion ately lower its performance, yet air spaces exceeding 3/4 of an inch are unnecessary.

RE-Value is the equivalent heat stopping ability of reflective material and ComfortGuard as compared to Fiberglass, Cellulose, and Foam insulation, i.e. : mass insulations under identical conditions within a system. The RE-Value of reflective insulations takes into consideration the total BTU/H/per square foot of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation, it also considers “Real Life Use” conditions not considered in accepted “R” and “U” value calculations. RE-Value=apparent system “R” value.

THERMAL PERFORMANCE IN DIFFERENT SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
System Tested	RE Value
UN-INSULATED ATTIC (no insulation)	2.1
ComfortGuard ON CEILING JOIST ONLY	27.4
ComfortGuard ON R11 CELLULOSE ON CEILING	37.8
ComfortGuard OVER R30 CELLULOSE ABOVE CEILING	44.8
ComfortGuard ON R19 FIBERGLASS ON CEILING	53.2
R19 FIBERGLASS ONLY ABOVE CEILING	26.9


	Dust can be an issue, as with any insulation. Our product is unique. It is coated with a "metalized aluminum" which makes it more resistant. It also has more perforations than any other reflective insulation. Installation is also very important. Furing strips and air flow help with this problem as well. Keep in mind...70% of dust comes from the breakdown of insulation...thorough inspection of the existing insulation is a must.