One of the easiest and most effective ways to fight heat gain in your home is by adding insulation in the attic. Without proper attic insulation working in tandem with attic ventilation, you’re fighting a losing battle as heat accumulates in the attic all day, and eventually infiltrates into your living spaces. In our very hot Southwest Arizona climate this can become a critical issue as your A/C works overtime to compensate for the heat radiating downward from a superheated attic.
Once the roofing materials heat up, the radiant heat from these materials will begin heating the space in the attic. This can result in temperatures of 150 degrees and higher in our area. If you have ductwork running through the attic space, the hot air will warm the cool, conditioned air that’s running through the ducts. This also forces your A/C to work harder and longer in order to achieve your thermostat setting.
Adding insulation is relatively easy and inexpensive. You can use either blown-in or batt insulation. If you’re using the latter, just roll it across the attic floor between the joists, making sure it rises to near the top of the joists. You’ll also want to make sure the attic is properly ventilated so that there’s some exchange of stale, superheated attic air with fresh outside air. An attic fan can help along this process and do it at a relatively low cost.
With proper attic insulation and ventilation, your attic won’t be working against your best efforts to cool your home. You’ll save on your energy bills and enjoy more even cooling throughout your home.
For more information on keeping your Yuma area home cool, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Co. We’re proud to provide top-notch service to Yuma and the surrounding area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about attic insulation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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