It is a fact that roof vents are invariably overlooked when it comes to saving money on energy. This is because most owners are unaware that the hottest part of their homes is the atticInsulation. This is because they seldom visit the attic except perhaps when they are storing boxes or unused appliances. Thus, the bulk of the heat in your home is lost through the ceiling/attic if it is not insulated. Further an unventilated attic will cause heat to build up and boost the temperature inside your home, straining your air conditioner to work harder – particularly during the summer months.

The only assured way to constantly maintain a low temperature in your attic is to install roof vents. This will eject the hot air out and replace it with much cooler air. It may not be difficult to run some electric lines to power the vents in your attic. As a matter of fact, you can also install solar-powered roof vents. Experts opine that roof ridge vent is the ideal way to ventilate your attic - but this has to be built with the house..

Over the years, a number of reasons have evolved for venting the attic, including reducing air conditioning bills in the summer, reducing attic moisture problems in the winter, and extending shingle life. Good ventilation will also help maintain the level of humidity, prolonging the life of your attic by preventing mold and mildew formations. It will also save for you a lot more from energy bills and from prevented repairs. To provide effective AtticVentilation, the number of attic vents required has to be calculated and strategically installed. You have to consider the size of the attic before buying vents. Calculate also the quantum of air that will be needed to optimize the temperature.

You can find many online calculators that will give you explanation in numbers – calculator 1, calculator 2 etc. Remember the fundamental attic ventilation principle is to keep that unused section of your house as cool as possible –dividing amount of the roof upper and lower vents 50/50. Industry standard for proper attic ventilation recommends 1 sq. foot of ventilation for every 150 sq. feet of attic space divided 50 / 50 between the inlets and outlets.

Newly built houses today are required to have at least R-30 in the attic. If this insulation is installed in the right manner heat will move through it gradually. Once the sun sets, most of the heat will be pushed off to the outside - unless, of course, there is air moving between the attic and the house..

Please remember that code-required attic ventilation levels should suffice. Adding extra ventilation can probably be a waste of money. Please also remember that powered attic vent fans are more likely to increase energy bills than to reduce them, and they can also increase the risk factors in your house. A little extra money to really seal the ceiling from the attic will indeed go a long way towards providing better comfort and lower energy bills.

There are different types of vents that you can install in your attic. Among the non-mechanical types of vents is the gable vent. It can help in the upper parts of your attic but may cause varying temperatures. The best ventilation to use would be a combination of soffit and ridge vents. Note however that this is quite a difficult project and you must engage your local contractor for this task.

More Insulation Articles