It doesn’t seem quite right, my carpenter and roofer both told me to poke a hole in my attic. But why would I want to loose all that hot heat in the winter when I just added new insulation and a new layer of roofing to keep my attic and my house warm and comfortable? And, what about the cold air that’s bound in come in through my new hole?
Here’s what I learned when I looked into it these questions. The combination of letting the hot air out and the cool air in is actually the key to a durable and energy-efficient building. The explanation is really so simple that most people in the construction business just take it for granted that everyone understands the physics involved.
In the winter, it works by allowing a natural flow of outdoor air in to the attic keeping cooler. Keeping it cooler reduces the possibility of melting ice that has built up on your roof re-freezing at the gutters when the temperature drops again, causing an ice dam that can damage the roof. Proper insulation and air sealing also keeps attics cold in winter by blocking the entry of heat and moist air from below. In the summer, natural airflow in a well-vented attic moves super-heated air out of the attic, protecting roof shingles and removing moisture. In addition, new roofing resists heat transfer into the house.
The most common mistake homeowners make when installing insulation is blocking the flow of air at the eaves or by other venting devices, such as Eveco, siphon and turbine vents. The truth is, you should never cover attic vents with insulation.
Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents and pushing hot air to the outside. However, if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house, attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up and out of the house and into the attic. This will use more energy and make your air conditioner work harder, which will increase your summer utility bill.
No matter what types of vents you choose as a channel for outside air to move into the attic and hot air to move out, make certain you use vents that are well built, use recycled materials and are themselves recyclable. Make sure you do it anyway because, like the professionals say, venting works so get on board.