Summer heat in Austin can be intense, but that’s not the whole story. Up on top of your roof, the temperature can be 10, 20, or even 50 degrees hotter. Wow!
The hottest temperature your roof records on any given day typically happens between noon and 3 o’clock. Precisely how hot the roof gets depends on a number of factors, like cloud cover, the roof’s pitch, the color of the roof and its materials.
No matter how you look at it, though, it’s much hotter up there than it is at ground level. That also affects your attic – and the conditions in your attic affect your entire home. If air can’t cycle properly through the attic, airflow through the whole home becomes less efficient.
In the worst case, your attic can contribute to stifling hot temperatures inside your house. Your air 
conditioner may not be able to reach the temperature you want, even though it will start “working overtime.” And when the AC runs too long or cycles too much, it’s that much more likely to fail.
Not to mention those sky-high cooling bills!
So, what’s the secret to protecting your attic and keeping cool?
It’s roof venting.
Roof Venting Keeps Air Cycling Through Your Home The Right Way
The goal of roof venting is to equalize conditions inside the attic so that its temperature and humidity levels are closely matched to the conditions outdoors. One easy way to help this process along is by keeping your attic empty and not using it to store boxes or old furniture you don’t plan to use.
However, even an empty attic usually benefits from professional roof venting.
While there are several types of attic vent you can add to your home, it’s important that the whole system is capped by roof venting. Roof venting is structured and installed in a very particular way to ease the movement of air, enabling warm air to rise and not get trapped.
In a typical roof venting system, you’ll find:
- Half of the vent area positioned low on the roof eaves (the soffit vent)
- Half of the vent area positioned near the roof’s peak (the ridge vent)
- Vents angled to help drive air from the lower points to the high points
Ideally, uniform airflow occurs from the soffit vents through the entire attic. This is one of the reasons why keeping the attic clean and free of clutter is essential. Many unused attics will attain excellent airflow using a simple ridge vent. Other, more complex roof venting structures are also available.
For example, you’ve probably seen industrial buildings with a turbine vent, which uses wind power to suck hot, humid air out of the attic. Somewhere between these two options is the hood vent, which can be appropriate in very humid areas but may make for a more complicated installation.
The right roof venting will make your home more efficient, save you money, and keep you comfortable. To learn more, contact Longhorn Roofing today.
