Efficiency's Last Frontier: Building Reflective Surfaces

摘要

This paper calls for discarding R-value as the means of measuring heat gain in hot climates and substituting the net effect of radiation, conductivity and convection to provide a level playing field for all heat abatement technologies. This is a first step toward synthesizing academic papers, manufacturer's claims and field tests into a proposed new energy code that specifically includes reflectivity, foams, radiant barriers, air gaps and other technologies. While national laboratories, notably the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have conducted extensive studies on reflectivity for over 10 years [1], [2], some questions remain. This paper looks first at the next steps needed to bring reflective surfaces to the mainstream, then merges with other insulating technologies and ends with outlining the requirements for a performance-based energy code and points to needed research in closely related areas. The exploratory nature of the research is reflected in many of the bibliography sources being primary sources rather than published papers.