The Link Between Attics and Energy Loss

Attic With Insulation

When the weather changes dramatically from season to season, it’s important to do all you can to maintain a consistent interior temperature. But if areas of your home easily lose energy, it becomes harder to maintain a comfortable environment while your HVAC system works harder and harder to do so. Looking for ways to cut down this energy loss? It turns out that your attic is often the biggest offender. Learn more about ways to improve attic energy efficiency with a few key insights from New Jersey Siding & Windows, Inc.

Ventilation

Your attic plays an important role in maintaining the overall temperature of the home. It needs to let cool air in during the winter and allow hot air to escape during the summer. While inviting in cool air during the winter may sound counterintuitive, it serves an important purpose. Since you will most likely be running the heater when it’s cold outside and hot air rises, a lot of the warm air ends up in the attic. When it escapes through the attic, it melts snow on your roof, which refreezes into ice dams that can cause blockages in gutters. This makes it important to maintain a cool attic during the winter to avoid this problem, and letting in cold air from outside is an easy way to do it.

In the summertime, you want the hot air to be released in order to keep your house cool. If your attic isn’t properly ventilated, the hot air will accumulate and temperatures can become extreme. This can cause damage to the shingles, which may require a replacement roof. Additionally, this hot and humid air will collect moisture, which causes mold and mildew. Make sure the vents in your attic work properly to allow this escape of warm air in the summer and entry of cold air in the winter.

Air Sealing

Air sealing is another facet of an insulation system that seals any openings going from the living space to the attic. Spray foam is used to seal off any light fixtures, pipes, and other protrusions that might allow air to flow to and from the attic. Doing so helps keep the attic at its appropriate temperature, and keeps the hot/cool air in the living space stay in inside the living space, thus lowering the energy costs in the long run.

Insulation

Lack of insulation around the entryway of an attic is not the only area where this problem can occur. You may also find that there are gaps between the rafters or joists in your attic, or that the layer of current insulation isn’t thick enough. This reduces your attic’s efficiency, making it difficult to maintain the appropriate air temperature. Having your attic properly ventilated is helpful, but if there is not enough insulation, then the hard work done by the vents will be wasted.

Maximize Your Attic’s Efficiency

With all of these factors affecting your attic’s energy efficiency, you need a professional to ensure that everything operates smoothly. The team at New Jersey Siding & Windows, Inc. offers attic insulation services that will address these issues and help you cut back on energy bills each month. To set up an appointment and receive a free estimate, contact us today.