Staying cool in Cleveland, with the sun beating its rays on your house rooftop and walls for a good portion of the day isn’t just a question of cranking up the A/C full blast. Although air conditioning will play a key role in cooling your Greater Cleveland area home this summer, there are ways to beat the summertime heat buildup to relieve some of the pressure off your cooling system and reduce your energy bill. Here are a few things to help keep the summertime heat buildup at bay, stay more comfortable, and save some money, too.
Most of the summertime heat buildup you experience in your home occurs in the attic space. If your attic is unprot
ected from the heat transfer radiating from a hot roof, it can reach temperatures of 120 degrees or more. Without proper insulation in place, the excessive heat will radiate right through the attic floor to the ceiling of your home’s upper story and then into your living spaces. This will force your A/C to work harder to compensate for the extra heat. In addition, the hot air may infiltrate through air leaks, especially through an inadequately sealed and insulated attic hatch or scuttle hole.
Four things can be done to help reduce attic heat:
- Coat your roof with a light-colored, reflective paint or compound that will cause solar rays to bounce off rather than be absorbed by the roof surface.
- Seal all areas in the attic floor and ceiling where air currents can pass. This includes penetrations from wiring, pipes, chimneys, flues, etc. Then install a generous amount of insulation between the rafters and joists. Place weatherstripping and insulation on the attic hatch or door.
- Install proper ventilation and consider the addition of an attic fan.
- Install a deflective radiant barrier on the attic ceiling surface, further reducing the ability of heat to enter from the roof.
Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing has been serving our Northeast Ohio clients for more than 75 years. For further information/advice on beating summertime heat buildup or other cooling or heating solutions please contact us today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat buildup and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
For those Do it Yourselfers who would rather take control of your own indoor comfort, you can shop our online store for replacement parts, products and accessories!
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