Keep The Heat Out
• Ventilate your attic. Try an attic fan. One of the greatest sources of heat into the home is hot air trapped in the attic. The sun beating down all day on a dark roof heats up the attic air to 130°F (54°C)or more. This in turn heats up the house, especially upstairs bedrooms, Even if you have good ceiling insulation this is still a major source of heat, and although attics are ventilated, this seldom gets rid of the hot air. An attic fan, however, can force it out and bring in cooler outside air.
Generally an attic fan is cheaper than an air conditioner and uses less power. It can be manually operated or governed by a thermostat to turn it on when the attic temperature reaches 100-110°F (about 40-45 °C). See a local building contractor or electrician about installing one — and be sure it's placed high on the roof.
• Insulation helps. Just as insulation and weatherstrip-ping keep valuable heat in during the winter, they also keep unwanted heat out during the summer. A double pay-off!
• Keep doors and windows closed during the hot part of the day if it's cooler inside. You might even leave storm windows on during the summer as long as they can be opened at night.
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May 19, 2012