The florida solar energy center fsec has done quite a bit of work in this area and even built a test building called the flexible roof facility to study different types of roof and attic assemblies.
Attic temp vs cooling cost in florida.
Understanding whether your home could benefit from some form of attic ventilation might just be if not a life saver a roof saver.
I suspect the thinking was the more the better.
I ve read where this disrupts the natural flow up from the soffits due to old turbines and new ridge vent.
The ideal temperature for the attic is whatever the thermostat is set to.
Improving attic ventilation for cost savings.
On one hand the national renewable energy laboratory said attic ventilation reduces attic temperature 10 to 25 degrees and slows the transfer of heat into the living space on the other the florida solar energy center university of central florida found that attics with nominal natural ventilation and r 19 ceiling insulation do not.
But attic ventilation requires a balance.
About 90 percent of homes in the us have unreasonably high levels of moisture.
Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool.
The question is what is the ideal temperature of an attic when outside temp is 75.
Too many attic vents can cause temperature fluctuations in cold weather months and too little venting will not do enough to dissipate heat in the summer.
It can cost anywhere from 1 700 to 2 100 or between 1 50 and 3 50 per foot to insulate an attic depending on what insulation material you choose.
If it s 90 degrees outside the attic temperatures shouldn t exceed 110 according to home inspector jamison brown of amerispec home inspection services in poquoson.
Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents.
Install electric ventilators and attic fans which remove hot air from an attic.
There s been some good work done on how the type of roofing affects the attic temperatures and cooling loads in the house.
The typical method for ventilating the attic on an average home is soffit and ridge vent.
Ultimately improving your attic s ventilation can have a net positive effect on your cooling bill.
Runs up the cooling cost.
Here are some of the myths and the facts you need to know about attic ventilation.
Alternatively install passive vents such as gable soffit and ridge vents which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape.
I come across many homes that originally had soffit venting and wind turbines at the peak but continuous ridge venting was added later during a re roof.