A good way to gage if more insulation is necessary is to look in your attic for ceiling rafters.
Ways to be okay in a hot attic.
Install electric ventilators and attic fans which remove hot air from an attic.
After you have prevented the heat from entering you need to work at getting cool air into the attic.
Heat can damage things such as photographs and wood.
Good roof ventilation can do this but shingle color sun exposure and insulation are exponentially more important to overall energy efficiency than ventilation.
My idea is to vent the build up of hot air that has risen to the ceiling in the hotspot rooms into the attic so that air from cooler parts of the house can move in.
They differ from whole house fans which are attic installed fans intended to cool the entire home rather than simply maintain proper attic temperature.
Having a properly vented attic is the best way to keep attic cool because it allows the hot air to escape during the summer.
Use the attic to store anything that is impervious to heat.
Stewart attics without air conditioning can reach up to 160 degrees fahrenheit on a hot day and that s way too hot for your electronics to survive apple recommends using their computers at between 50 and 95.
Low cfm similar to a bathroom vent 300cfm and only in the hot spots basically by adding an inline ducting fan to the return ducts for the hotspot rooms.
But if you ve got an unfinished attic giving it proper insulation is one of the simplest ways to keep a lid on your heating bill this season.
Alternatively install passive vents such as gable soffit and ridge vents which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape.
Storing items in your attic is far more preferable than storing them in the basement where they may get wet think about flooding or garage where they are exposed to the elements.
Hot air exhaust vents located at the peak of the roof allow hot air to escape.
In the basement store everything in clear plastic bins labeled and not packed too heavily.
According to agricultural engineer b r.
If you re storing electronics in your attic you might be unpleasantly surprised to find them less than functional in the future.
If you can see the ceiling rafters you need more insulation.
Attic ventilation fans are a type of attic fan that cools attics by pushing hot air outside while pulling in cooler air from soffit and gable vents.
Sure installing roof vents for older homes can reduce your hot air during the summer but there are probably more low risk cost effective ways to increase your home s energy.
It s a diy project you can tackle in a weekend and the savings you ll get add up every year says toh general contractor tom silva.
They have thermostats that turn the fan on at a recommended preset temperature of 100 110 degrees.
Taking advantage of this natural process referred to as passive ventilation is the most common way to vent an attic.
