How to Know If Your Attic Needs More Insulation and Ventilation

If you are wondering if your attic needs more insulation and ventilation here are some things to look for.

Instructions

1. It does not matter if you live in a hot climate or a cold one, your attic needs to be both well insulated and well ventilated.
   It can save you hundreds of dollars per year to add insulation or to add rooftop or gable vents to let hot air out during the summer and also keep the attic insulation from getting damp in the winter.

2. In summer one sign of a poorly insulated or poorly ventilated attic is a ceiling that is warm to the touch, or for that matter any bit warmer than an inside wall. Another sign is an air conditioner that stays on most of the day without cycling on and off. If you step back in your yard and do not see large mushroom shaped vents or multiple small square vents and do not see small vent holes under the roof overhang or vents at each end of the gables, your home may not be properly vented. Some metal roofs have a continuous ridge vent but these only work with vents under the roof overhang or "soffit vents".
   Stand on a step latter and place your palm on the ceiling at points throughout the house and check for warm spots.
   This will find only severe problems.
   You may be experiencing heat gain (or loss in winter) through your ceiling even though you cannot feel a hot ceiling.
   Find your attic access and during the hottest time of day during the summer, normally around 3 PM, go up into your attic and see how hot it is.
   If you feel unbearable, intense heat you probably do not have enough ventilation.
   Ventilation is very important in all climates but as far as energy savings, is extremely important in warm climates. Home builders do not install enough ventilation since buyers do not demand it and they could care less what your utility bills are. Also buyers may not want anything on the roof besides shingles since they don't understand how much a hot attic will cost them each month.
   If your attic is very hot during your visit, and if you do not have any positive vents such as whirlybird vents (turned by the wind) or powered attic or gable vents, have a contractor come and install some.
   One good choice are solar powered roof or gable vents.
   These use a solar panel to remove up to 800 cubic feet of hot air per minute and use no power which is a big plus.
   For these to work you need vents around the undersides of your roof overhang or soffit vents.

3. On your visit to your attic wear gloves and take a flashlight and check the fiberglass insulation and determine its R value. You should have at least R-30. Some builders cheat you and put in R-19 which is not adequate in any climate, hot or cold.
   If you do have R-30 it can still pay to add more. One route that is relatively easy is to spray in blow in cellulose insulation.
   You can add another R-15 to a 2000 square foot home for a materials cost of approximately $1000.
   Between adding more ventilation and insulation you should be able to reduce your heating and cooling bills noticeable.
   Add solar screens (which cover the entire window and block heat rays) to all of your south and west windows as well and you will notice your air conditioner kicking on less and less.
   Remove solar screens in the wintertime for solar heat gain.