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Do I use the Raflect Radiant Barrier instead of regular roll insulation?  I was thinking that it would replace the fiberglass insulation, but I wanted to make sure.

Hey Lance, thanks for the post!

Actually, you do NOT want to use radiant barrier in lieu of regular thermal insulation. They all block different forms of heat exchange. Basically heat moves from an area of high heat to a cooler area in three forms:
convection - heat transfer through a liquid or gas(air)
conduction - heat transfer through touch
radiation - electromagnetic radiation (aka radiant heat) transfer

Thermal insulation like batt insulation, spray foam and blown in insulation to name a few are very good at stopping convective and conductive heat transfer, but are not as good at stopping radiant heat transfer. So unless you have R-39 or above insulation, a lot of radiant heat is still getting through, and this is where a radiant barrier helps to stop that additional heat transfer.

So, simple answer to your question…. No you still need your roll insulation!

Hope this helps.

Adam

PS: if you want to learn more, head over to our Ra-flect radiant barrier website and download the “5 Things You Must Know…” report.