Performance of Reflective Insulation in Gable Roofs: Small-Scale Experimental Investigation

• Main Authors: Farhan, S. A., Khamidi, M. Faris, Ziela , D.F., Al Yacouby, A. M., Idrus, Arazi, Fadhil F Nuruddin, Nuruddin, Razali, A. E.
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.utp.edu.my/8181/1/Reflective_insulation_khamidi.pdf; http://eprints.utp.edu.my/8181/

Thermal performance of roofs can be improved using insulation materials. Conductive insulation materials create miniature air spaces which retards heat flow through conduction, whereas reflective insulation uses larger air spaces faced with foil on one or both sides to reflect heat flow through radiation and retard heat flow through conduction. Two smallscale experimental houses with dimensions of 60 cm length by 60 cm width by 50 cm height were constructed to investigate the efficiency of reflective insulation in improving thermal performance of gable roof. The houses were equipped with data loggers and thermocouples for data collection. Findings validated that on average, reflective insulation reduces indoor temperatures of the small-scale experimental house by 2°C.