Finished Attic Ventilation Insulation

Sure installing roof vents for older homes can reduce your hot air during the summer but there are probably more low risk cost effective ways to increase your home s energy.

Finished attic ventilation insulation.

Good roof ventilation can do this but shingle color sun exposure and insulation are exponentially more important to overall energy efficiency than ventilation. That means insulating the attic floor only not the walls and having vents in the roof. Hvac i recently moved into a 1922 2 1 2 story colonial in baltimore md hot humid summers and fairly cold winters. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the soffits of the residence to the ridge vent.

So much information has been devoted to the subject of roof venting that it s easy to become confused and to lose focus. Improving insulation ventilation in finished attic tags. It creates a breeding ground for mold and mildew and ruins the air trapping pockets that block heat flow. Box out light fixtures.

If the finished attic is simply a storage area without the need for climate control you can leave the attic floor insulation in place but must forgo adding anything between the rafters. So i ll start by saying something that might sound controversial but really isn t. In addition insulation baffles must be installed at the point where the attic floor meets the roofline to prevent the attic insulation from migrating into the cavities and restricting the airflow from the soffit vents. With a finished attic insulation must help keep the attic areas comfortable.

Without properly ventilating the roof your finished space can be just as unpleasant as an unfinished attic. Look for water stains on the roof sheathing or damp or moldy spots on attic joists and existing insulation as a clue to where leaks might be. Or insulation baffles install in any rafter. Since parts of a finished attic are usually very close to the roof insulation often blocks proper ventilation that is needed under a roof structure.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Water is insulation s enemy. A finished attic should be insulated much like the rest of the house with insulation in the walls and ceiling. To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.

A vented attic where insulation is placed on an air sealed attic floor is one of the most underappreciated building assemblies that we have in the history of building science. How to insulate a finished attic.