Heating And Cooling Impacts Of Open Attics

You can take advantage of the chimney effect to cool your home without using an air conditioner.

Heating and cooling impacts of open attics. What are the benefits of insulating your attic. Using natural ventilation is an easy way to green up your lifestyle and save you money by reducing your cooling bills in the summer. If all else fails you can install a dehumidifier in the attic or run some air conditioning ducts up there. A home with a poorly insulated attic is vulnerable to whatever the weather brings in both summer and winter making it much harder to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors.

To conserve energy and save money on heating and cooling costs upgrade your existing attic insulation to an r value of 30. If you want to substantially reduce energy costs decreasing the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling your home is a good place to start. Savings will depend on the type of radiant barrier application the size of your house whether it is a ranch style or a two story house the amount of insulation in the attic effectiveness of attic ventilation the color of the roof the thermostat settings the tightness of the building envelope the actual weather conditions the efficiency of the heating and cooling equipment and fuel. Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts.

Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in the average american home. Since your home s heating and cooling system usually does not extend into the garage insulating this area does little to change the cost of running the system. With no air conditioning vents pumping in cool air and the hot sun beating down on the roof right over your head attic temperatures can soar. By rik degunther.

If your attic isn t insulated or hasn t been insulated for years it could compromise your home s safety efficiency and comfort. The dehumidifier is preferred since your air conditioner will only dehumidify the attic while the system is running. Adding ac to the attic will also put the space under positive pressure possibly forcing attic air into your living space. But with proper ventilation you can at least bring those temperatures down to match that of the outdoor air.

Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70 of the energy used in the average american home. So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all. Attic hvac systems save space. Unless you have a finished attic you probably aren t fond of spending time up there during a hot summer day.

Worse yet lack of insulation in the attic leaves this space open to attack by mold and pests which can eventually do serious damage to the wood structure of your house. Well mainly it s a way to save space.