Why Proper Attic Ventilation Is Important

When it comes to making our homes more energy efficient, we often bury ourselves in doing things like installing ceiling fans, changing light bulbs to more efficient ones, installing programmable thermostats and sealing and insulating our homes that we often overlook the attic, which is one part of the house that is actually an essential part of the overall energy profile of your home.

Many home owners actually don’t realise that attic ventilation is so crucial to keeping your home warm during colder months and cool in the summer. In addition, attic ventilation also helps deliver fresh air throughout the home, giving us a lot of comfort and allows us to save money as well.

The importance of proper attic ventilation

We all know how important moisture in the air is, but when left unchecked, all that humidity can reach levels that can cause problems both for your home and for your health. Too much moisture in the air can get very uncomfortable, not to mention that it encourages the growth of mould, which can cause a number of respiratory problems, among other things. To get rid of all that excess moisture, the attic must be properly ventilated. With proper attic ventilation, the humidity inside your home, particularly during the warmer summer months, will reach lower levels.

Proper attic ventilation also helps extend the life of roof and shingling. You see, an attic that gets too hot for an extended period can trigger the breakdown of asphalt shingles. Too much attic heat is actually one of the primary reasons for the premature failure of shingles. When there is proper attic ventilation, much of that heat will be vented out, therefore preventing early roof damage and reducing the need for frequent replacement.

Your attic ventilation options

One of the first things you have to do if you want proper attic ventilation is to install attic vents. Also called soffit and gable vents, these attic vents play a crucial role in keeping your attic cool in the summer. You could also set up attic fans that cool hot attics by pushing out hot air and pulling cool air inside.

When working in tandem, attic vents and attic fans are great for cooling attics that have gotten too hot. However, if the attic vents somehow get blocked or are not properly sealed off from the rest of your home, your attic fans could draw conditioned air from your home, and that will do a number on your energy costs as well as your air conditioning unit, which has to work harder to compensate for the leak. To make sure that nothing of this sort happens, ensure that all your attic vents and fans are in proper working order.

Also great options for attic ventilation are rafter vents. As their name suggests, they are vents installed between roof rafters and run out to your home’s eaves. It works just like traditional attic vents.

If you want to make sure that your attic ventilation is properly installed, call us at Tradebusters and we’ll help you get the services of some of the most skilled and experienced installers of ventilation systems.