Upgrading attic insulation, improving ventilation, and installing
Install electric ventilators and attic fans, 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.
Not only can this have an impact on your comfort levels, but it can also lead to higher energy bills. Heat in the attic can be a contributing factor to harmful mold growth. Mold growth happens particularly if the heat is accompanied by humidity. It can also damage your roof.
Note excessive heat – if it's 90 degrees outside, the attic temperature shouldn't be more than 110 degrees. More often than not, attic temperatures will be in excess of 125 degrees on a 90 degree day. This will overwork your air conditioning equipment, run up your utility bill and shorten the life of your roof.
If you have an attic fan, you can cool down the rest of your house. The best part is that you don't have to keep your fan running all the time. If you only use the attic fan during the hottest part of the day, you can reduce the temperature in your attic by up to 50 degrees.
Regular fans are those ceiling fans– the ones we have in our bedrooms and living rooms. These fans circulate the air which is already present inside a room. Ceiling fans are suitable for finished attics with windows, a skylight, or other forms of ventilation.
While energy usage will vary depending on how much you use it and what type of unit you have, in most cases it's pretty much accepted that whole house systems are less expensive and use less energy. Whole house fans can also be faster for cooling a hot home than most air conditioners.
Ventilation Improvements
Improving your attic's ventilation is another effective strategy for reducing heat buildup. This can be achieved through the addition of various types of vents, such as soffit and ridge vents. These vents help to create a continuous flow of fresh air, which can help to cool your attic.
If it's 90 degrees outside, most people would set their AC to a perfectly comfortable temperature of 68-72°F.
Research shows sleep can be disrupted by temperatures anywhere below 65 degrees Fahrenheit or above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. But for most people, heat interferes with sleep more than cold does. Sleep experts believe the best temperature for great sleep is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rafter vents should be placed in your attic ceiling in between the rafters at the point where your attic ceiling meets your attic floor. Once they are in place, you can then place the batts or blankets, or blow insulation, right out to the very edge of the attic floor.
The two species that have no issue with the heat of attics are bats and snakes.
When it comes to an attic fan's temperature setting, it's best to adjust it to anywhere from 90 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It's impossible to state a single number because your attic can effortlessly soar above 95 degrees (on average).
Recommend a Roofing Contractor
Even if the HVAC contractor identifies a problem with the attic ventilation system, it may be best to allow the roofing contractor to step in.
If you've ever wondered how hot an attic can get, consider this: The average temp of an unventilated attic in the summer is 150 degrees. That's hot enough to cook an egg and bake the shingles on your roof. This kind of damage causes leaks, which can lead to costly structural damage down the road.
If your goal is to help keep your home cool, adding a radiant barrier to the insulation in your attic can make a big difference. Radiant barriers are made of reflective foil sheeting. It is added to the walls of an attic to help reflect heat away instead of absorbing it into the space.
Just because the outdoor temperature is above 100, the Ideal temperature to set your AC unit to doesn't change — it's 78 degrees. Higher temperatures in the home are to be expected when the weather is hotter than usual, but your thermostat can still be set the same as if it were a lower temperature outside.
Your AC might not cool properly due to thermostat issues, an undersized unit, or extremely high outdoor temps—so check those first. Keep an eye on airflow—replace clogged filters every 3 months, and make sure vents and ducts aren't blocked for efficient cooling.
You'll save more money on air conditioning bills the closer you keep your inside temperature to the outside temperature, so see if you can stand to set your thermostat at 78 instead of 72.
There's a wealth of advice on how to cool an attic, such as getting passive vents like ridge vents and switching to a light-colored metal roof. But the big four hot attic solutions are: installing a radiant barrier, attic insulation, attic ventilation, and sealing cracks & air leaks.
In our research and testing we have found that a properly balanced attic ventilation system is doing its job if it can keep the attic temperature within 10-15 degrees of the outside ambient temperature — within 20 degrees max.
But because of the lack of insulation, your attic builds up heat more easily than the rest of your house because it directly receives heat from the sun. Your attic gains heat at a rate that's much faster than it can allow hot air to escape. This is one of the major reasons your attic can feel so hot.
Why are attic fans not used anymore? Due to inefficiencies in relying on existing attic vents for air intake, attic fans have lost popularity. These vents often aren't designed for this purpose, resulting in inadequate replacement air supply.
You don't need to have your attic fun running all of the time. Having it running only when it's needed maximizes its benefits for your home's AC and overall energy efficiency.
By removing hot air from your attic, attic fans can help reduce the workload on your air conditioner, which can lead to lower energy bills. They can also prevent ice damming during the winter months, which can cause damage to your roof and home.