Effective home ventilation is paramount for a number of reasons. When your home is sealed up tightly, your home’s ventilation systems help to keep air circulating through it. Ventilation in the attic helps to keep temperatures down in the space during summer, lowering energy bills and increasing comfort, while in winter it helps to prevent ice dams. Finally, effective ventilation in the attic will help to reduce moisture problems and ensures an overall healthy, durable space.

Your home’s ventilation should support these goals year-round. Here are effective ventilation practices that will help ensure a healthy attic and home:

• Sizing matters with ventilation. In this case, more is not always better. To effectively ventilate your space, whether you’re adding ventilation in the attic or the entire home, it’s important to correctly size the ventilation system and/or vents. Too little or too much ventilation is problematic and can lead to moisture problems, high energy costs and more.
• Using roof vents helps in both seasons. Effective roof venting helps as much in winter as it does in summer. In the latter season, roof ventilation helps to boost energy efficiency, as does the color of your roof’s shingles and insulation. However, this same venting accomplishes as much during winter, particularly where the attic is concerned, helping to usher moisture out of the space and preventing damage.
• Relying on attic roof vents alone may not be enough. Because your home is unique due to its combination of venting, insulation and other energy-savings projects, you’ll need to consult with an expert HVAC contractor to determine the best ventilation system for your home. However, in the attic, it’s an acceptable practice to use ridge vents at the top of the roof and soffit vents at the sides to create optimal ventilation through the space.

What’s the state of your home’s ventilation? Contact Smoky Mountain Heating & Air today. We can help you evaluate your home’s ventilation. We proudly serve homeowners throughout the greater Asheville area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Asheville, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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