3 Energy-Efficient Attic Ventilation Solutions

Your attic needs proper ventilation so excessively hot air can escape. Preventing an overheated attic is important for protecting your roof and for controlling the climate in your home. You can have a fan hardwired to pull air out of your attic, but that's not an energy-efficient choice when it's possible to use passive, wind, or solar ventilation. Here's an overview of three types of energy-efficient attic ventilation solutions.

1. Passive Ventilation

Passive ventilation works on the principle that hot air rises. The ventilation system is set up to pull cooler outdoor air in through vents along the bottom of the attic and let the hot air at the top of the attic escape through vents in the roof.

The intake vents at the bottom are usually built into the soffit boards. Soffit vents are long strips of mesh along the boards that allow air to be sucked into the attic as hot air is pulled out the top. The exit vents at the top might be a ridge vent built under the ridge cap shingles or box vents installed on the roof. This type of ventilation system is completely passive and it doesn't rely on electricity at all.

2. Wind-Powered Ventilation

If your attic needs more ventilation than what the passive method can provide, consider a wind-powered turbine vent that pulls hot air out of the attic when the wind blows. The wind hits the turbine and causes the blades to spin. This pulls hot air out and brings cool air in so the ventilation in your attic increases. Turbine vents don't use electricity either, so they're energy efficient. However, they also don't work when there is no wind blowing.

3. Solar-Powered Ventilation

Another energy-efficient attic ventilation solution is a solar-powered fan. You can have one of these installed on your roof to suck hot air from your attic. These have small solar panels on top, so they operate when the sun is shining. They don't need to rely on wind or electricity.

As long as the fan is running, your attic will have optimal ventilation that keeps your home cooler in the summer and protects your roof from damage. Since none of these energy-efficient methods of attic ventilation drive up your power bill, you can have them set up and then let them run all the time.

Your contractor can calculate the amount of ventilation you need based on the size of your attic. Once you know that, you or the contractor can choose the best ventilation method for your attic and the right equipment for the job. 

Contact a local contractor to learn more about energy-efficient attic ventilation solutions


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