The Best Way to Get Heat and Moisture Out of Your Attic

An Eco-efficient option is a solar-powered attic fan installed by Excel Roofing. Solar-powered fans use a small solar panel to power the fan when the sun is shining – with no electric operating costs. The ultimate in green technology, it doesn’t get any better than this – using the hot sun to cool your attic!

Why install a solar powered attic fan?

• Eliminate the “oven” in your attic by lowering attic temperatures dramatically.
• Operates for free!
• Lower utility bills forever.

How does a solar powered attic fan work?

1. Heat Builds Inside An improperly Vented Attic The sun beats down on a homes’ roof and heats up the enclosed attic space. Passive vents (soffit or gable) allow some circulation but do not provide the pressure needed to force out the hot air.
2. Solar Attic Fan Provides Air Circulation The photovoltaic panel of the solar attic fan collects sunlight that powers the fans motor to increase air movement.
3. Air Circulation Moves Hot Air Out Of Attic Space The increased air circulation provides the pressure needed to force out the hot air from your attic. Attic venting can cool your attic space by up to 40 degrees!

Attic Venting Key Concepts
Attic ventilation is an important aspect of maintaining the structure of your home as well as saving energy. Improper attic venting can lead to moisture buildup that can cause mold growth and also cause wood rot. The key to proper attic ventilation is to create continuous air circulation throughout the attic space while preventing moisture from entering. In an ideal venting system, air should enter the attic from the eaves or soffits and escape outside at the roofs ridge.

Solar Attic Fans Work With Your Existing Passive Vents
If you’ve ever been in your attic, you know just hot the space can get, especially in summer months. The sun beats down on the roof surface and heats up the stagnant air inside the attic. Building codes require homes to have a passive vent system. But, passive ventilation does not provide the pressure needed to force the air through the attic and outside. That’s where a motorized fan comes in. An attic fan placed at the roofs ridge will pull air in from outside, force it to move through the entire attic space and escape through the attic vent. In summer months, a solar attic fan can reduce the temperature in an attic by up to 40°F!

Solar Attic Fans Operate Using Free Solar Energy
A solar attic fan is a simple way to add a motorized venting system to your home without needing any extra electrical wiring or structural changes. Natural Light Solar Attic Fans are manufactured using high-impact photovoltaic solar panels to power the fan for free all during the day.

Other Ways to Get Heat and Moisture Out of Your Attic

In a balanced system, proper ventilation – along with attic insulation – meets important eco-goals by helping maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home, increasing energy efficiency, preventing moisture damage and contributing to your roof’s long life.

Proper attic ventilation completes Excel Roofing’s Eco System series of roofs. Owens Corning ventilation products work hand-in-hand with Owens Corning AttiCat Insulation and one of Excel Roofing’s premier Eco Series roof shingle packages to promote maximum heating and cooling efficiency for your home. Count on Owens Corning VentSure and Raft-R-Mate products to keep a cool roof over your head.

Owens Corning VentSure and Raft-R-Mate ventilation systems include:

• VentSure soffit vents
• Raft-R-Mate attic rafter vents
• VentSure roof vents
• VentSure ridge vents

Call Excel Roofing now at (303) 761-6400 or email us using the form above for a no-obligation evaluation of your attic ventilation project – and Expect the Very Best.

Proper Ventilation Extends Roof Life, Keeps Home Cool

In a balanced ventilation system, wind blowing over the ridge of the roof creates negative pressure that draws the warmer air out of the attic. Replacement air then enters through the undereave or soffit vents, cools the underside of the roof, and exits at the ridge cap through ridge, roof or gable vents. Even without wind, the natural convection action of rising warm air maintains a continuous air flow along the underside of the roof.

Most homes contain an overhang near the eave area where intake vents are usually installed. The undereave or soffit vents are one of the most important component of any roof ventilation system. Warm air in the attic rises, where it then escapes to the outside through vents located on the upper part of the roof. The intake or soffit vents on eaves replace the warm air by drawing in cooler outdoor air.

Intake vents increases the performance of a roof system in several ways:

• An efficient ventilation system can decrease attic temperatures by as much as 40%; cooling costs are reduced and living conditions in the home.
• Roof problems such as ice dams and condensation are prevented.
• Expansion and contraction of roof shingles due to repeated cycles of heating and cooling is minimized, increasing the lifespan of the roof system.

An important factor is to make sure air can flow unobstructed from intake vents to exhaust vents. Insulation or other material blocking airflow will make the system inefficient.

Ultimately, proper ventilation – along with attic insulation – helps maintain a comfortable temperature inside a home, increases energy efficiency, prevents moisture damage and contributes to the longevity of a roof.

Call Excel Roofing now at (303) 761-6400 or email us using the form above for a no-obligation evaluation of your attic ventilation project – and Expect the Very Best.