How Does Ventilation Affect Your Energy Bill?

Ventilation plays a pivotal role in keeping you and your home comfortable all year long. Ventilation is so vital that it can even offset mold and mildew problems!

During summertime in Texas, we all know how ungodly hot it gets. Proper ventilation can help keep temperatures down all summer which will result in energy cost savings.

Here’s why: The summer sun beats down on the roof of your home, pushing attic temperatures over 120° degrees Fahrenheit. This super-hot air eventually radiates into the living space, resulting in warmer interior temperatures. Ultimately, you’ll have to run your air conditioning unit longer to offset this unwanted heat gain.

Attic Ventilation

If you’ve ever had to retrieve something from the attic in the middle of summer, you know it gets hot up there – very hot! Fortunately, your home’s insulation prevents much of this heat from seeping into the home. Yet, on the hottest days of the year, insulation alone isn’t enough.

Proper ventilation helps to offset the stress that’s put on the insulation. Basically, attic ventilation systems facilitate air circulation in the attic. Air intake and exhaust vents generate a natural flow of air – cooler air in via the intakes, warm air out via the exhaust vents – that helps to push the ultra-hot air up and out of the attic.

Attic Vents

Attic vents are necessary in order to help keep air flowing within the attic. When it comes to the different types of exhaust vents, there are multiple types you can find for your home – here are the most common types:

• Power Vents: Power vents, sometimes called PAVs, resemble box vents, but they have an electric or solar-powered fan within that help to draw moisture and hot air out of the attic. The most advanced PAVs have thermostats and humidity detectors that trigger them to turn on.
• Ridge Vents: Ridge vents sit along the length of the roof’s horizontal ridges. An advantage is that ridge vents help to prevent hot and cool spots in the attic, creating an increased cooling effect.

Improving Attic Ventilation =  Cost Savings

Ultimately, improving your attic’s ventilation can have a positive net effect on your energy bill. But attic ventilation requires a balance. Too many attic vents can cause temperature fluctuations in cold weather months, and too few vents will not do enough to dissipate heat in the summer.

If you have questions about the ventilation in your Houston area home, consult your friends at Air Specialist. We have the cooling solution to help keep you and your family comfortable all season long! Schedule an appointment online or give us a call at [csad_phone].