There are two different types of insulation groups; there is reflective and also bulk insulation. These two achieve two different outcomes but can often be confused for each other.
Bulk insulation is the process of preventing heat flow by creating millions of air pockets and then trapping the heat/sound inside of them.
The more dense the bulk insulation, the more effective it will be at blocking out sound and noise. Examples of bulk insulation would be insulation batts, loose-fill insulation or even polystyrene boards, these would all be suitable products to insulate parts of your home to ensure maximum comfort.
Reflective insulation is a obstacle to counter radiant heat, it has a reflective surface such as foil that reflects the radiant heat away from the object.
This specific type of insulation will reflect the heat and the harmful sun but it will not be a satisfactory sound barrier. Reflective Insulation is much better at keeping the heat out than it is at keeping the heat in, this is why it's appropriate to use sarking in your roof or some foil faced blankets around your home to insulate parts of it.
Reflective insulation can not be fully functional on it's on, it needs a layer of air in order to reflect the heat onto and without this it is essentially useless, for this reason it's very hard for it to have a fixed R-Value unlike your insulation batts.
It's important to know the difference between the two types of insulation as they will often be used together to ensure maximum comfort, they serve different purposes but if they're combined together they can create a very energy efficient home and save you a lot of money on your energy bills.
Conclusion -
It's important to understand the difference between these two types of insulation as they may serve the same purpose but the way they go about it is completely different and one option may not be suitable for your situation, that's why it's important to do your research before purchasing insulation, these blog posts will give you a much better understanding on insulation.
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