Ventilation And Insulation: Remedies For An Attic That’s Running A Temperature

Because your home is kept comfortable with air conditioning, your attic will always be hotter in the summer compared to your home’s interior. However, there are two concepts that can serve as remedies for an attic that’s running a temperature: ventilation and insulation. Here’s a look at why these remedies are important and how you can implement them in your Pasadena home.

Ventilation

• Why it’s important: As the summer sun beats down on the roof, the shingles can heat up to 150 degrees or more. This heat transfers through the roofing material and into the attic air, where it will remain stagnant and unbearably hot unless ventilation circulates the hottest air out and introduces relatively cool air from outside. This affects home comfort because overly hot attics can allow heat to seep into your home and force your air conditioner to work harder.
• Types of attic ventilation: The most subtle type of attic ventilation is natural ventilation, which consists of eave and ridge vents. When a breeze comes along, air is pushed inside at the eaves and rises out of the ridge vents. A more aggressive and effective option is attic fan ventilation, a method intended to cool off your attic by actively drawing air in from outside.
• Choosing an attic fan: The fan you choose should be capable of moving tremendous amounts of air to make a difference in attic temperature. Look for a flow rate in cubic feet per minute (cfm) that equals your attic volume x 10, divided by 60.

Insulation

• Why it’s important: Attic ventilation and insulation work hand-in-hand. In fact, insulation is vital for ventilation to be effective, because without a properly sealed and insulated attic floor, an attic fan will simply draw conditioned air from your home into the attic. Insulation should also never cover vents used for ventilation purposes.
• Types of attic insulation: There are many types, but the most cost-effective way to improve the insulation in your attic is to spread loose-fill insulation into any gaps you find on the attic floor.

To learn more about attic ventilation and insulation in your Pasadena home, please contact Air-Tro, Inc. Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Los Angeles, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ventilation and insulation and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

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