Correct Attic Ventilation: Take a Deep Breath

While sitting at home, hiding from the 100+ degree heat, have you considered where the heat in your home ends up? During the wonderful Texas summer months, exterior heat is absorbed into your attic. Correct attic ventilation makes a significant difference in high summer energy bills and indoor air quality.

Attic ventilation during Summer

Attics are great for storing Christmas trees and rarely used household items. But they have a second job and it’s helping keep the interior of your home healthy. Attic ventilation must be done correctly, and many fly-by-night roofing companies simply don’t understand how to allow for proper ventilation and how to correctly install ventilation equipment. A poorly ventilated attic can affect energy bills, shorten the life of roofing shingles, impact the effectiveness of insulation and reduce indoor air quality.

Additionally, during the summer, attic ventilation reduces the amount of heat radiating down into the home. This impacts how hard your appliances and air conditioning units must work.

Winter time requires attic ventilation too

There are two main areas impacted by wintertime attic ventilation. The first being moisture control. Moisture naturally rises to the colder attic area. If not properly vented, the moisture gets trapped in the insulation. Over time, the damp insulation can grow mold or mildew. Significant amounts of moisture can even cause wood rot. The other concern is equal distribution of heat escaping from the house when temperatures remain below freezing. If there are “hot spots” on the roof, they can melt snow that then refreezes in a colder part of the roof. This introduces the dangers of ice damming.

The solution for attic ventilation

Energy Star explains it well. In winter, you want to add insulation for warmth but still let cold air to enter. Conversely, during the summer months you want the outside warm air to enter and displace the super-heated air building up in the attic. The goal is to have a balanced, correct attic ventilation system. Knowing how to do this correctly is truly a job for professionals. Peak Roofing & Construction has been designing and installing ventilation systems for over a decade. Call us today. We are happy to come to your home and provide a free evaluation and inspection of your attic ventilation system and provide recommendations if it is not adequate.

About Peak Roofing & Construction

Peak Roofing and Construction is family-owned, with 30-years of experience. Bonded, insured and accredited, we provide roofing, gutter, fence, window and exterior facelift services. Guaranteed. Call (972) 335-7325 (Dallas-Fort Worth) or 281-290-7325 (Houston) today!