Keep Your Attic from Overheating
An unventilated attic can reach 150 degrees in the heat of summer — 50 degrees higher than it should be.
An overheated attic can bake asphalt shingles on the roof and cause them to deteriorate. And it can cause your air conditioner to work harder than it needs to and send your energy bills soaring with the temperature.
To head off these problems, consider these options for bringing your attic’s temperature down:
- Install electric ventilators, which remove hot air from an attic. They have thermostats that turn the fan on at a recommended preset temperature of 100-110 degrees.
- Alternatively, install passive vents such as gable, soffit and ridge vents, which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape.
- No matter what ventilation system you go with, make sure there’s one square foot of venting area for every 300 square feet of floor space.
- Install attic insulation with an R-factor of at least 19. This will help keep the hot attic air from heating your living space.
Keeping your attic properly ventilated and making sure that you have healthy indoor air quality in your home will increase the efficiency of your central air conditioning system an keep you cooler and more comfortable all summer long. SOS has several options for improving your indoor air quality to help increase your home comfort level.
Contact us or call us at 845-351-4700 for more information on the proper way to insulate your attic, save money and energy, be more comfortable and improve your health.
