How to Heat & Cool the Attic in a Home

When it comes to regulating for a comfortable home temperature, attic areas can be problematic. In addition to being more naturally exposed to the elements, this portion of the house is sometimes overlooked during design and building procedures regarding ventilation and heating. Taking steps to ensure proper heating, cooling and temperature preservation in your attic can not only make the space more livable, it can help prevent a loss of heating and cooling from other areas of your home.

Instructions

1. Get your attic fully insulated. Since the attic is both closest to the sun and furthest from the natural insulating effects of the ground, this is the most important part of your house when it comes to insulation. If your attic isn't already fitted with fiberglass or cellulose insulation, rectify this immediately. If your attic is already insulated, consider increasing the strength of the insulation or simply replacing it if it's old. See links below for a tutorial about insulating your attic.

2. Place blinds or curtains on all windows in your attic. Attics, especially those with many windows, can be the best place in the house for gathering sunlight. This is a boon during colder months, when the curtains can be pulled back to let in as much light and heat as possible. During the warmer months, shading your windows with effective light-blocking curtains or blinds will help keep it cool.

3. Check your attic windows for loss of heat. During a cold day, stand near the window and check the temperature with your hand. If the area near the windows is noticeably colder, consider getting your windows re-done. This will also give you a chance, if necessary, to update your windows so that they can be opened, which will help air circulation and cooling during warm months.

4. Run fans to and from the downstairs area of your home. Even a small line of household fans running for just a few hours a day will make a big difference in helping to circulate air of the desired temperature up into the attic while moving attic air into the main portion of the house to be regulated. Point a couple fans up into the attic and a few down from it.

5. Use portable single-room space heaters and air conditioners. Once other insulating and regulating measures have been taken, a little help from these electronic devices will go much further.

Resources

• Attic Insulating