What kind of roof, attic vents do I have?

Keeping your home at the right temperature is essential to the health of the home. In the summer, its keeping the home cooler and in winter, keeping it warmer. Achieving this through insulation and venting helps a lot. Proper venting will allow for better airflow, reducing the chance of unwanted heat and moisture, reduction of insulation efficiency; just to name a few.

Going into the summer months, both insulation and venting will help to keep your home cooler. Your roof plays a big part in keeping your home cooler by allowing ventilation; wether that is through fan instillation or ridge venting at the top of the roof.

The types of venting are numerous but fall between two categories of intake vents and exhaust vents. Fresh air will enter an attic space through intake vents while exhaust vents allow hot, moist air to exit the attic.

Ridge Vents (Exhaust)

Ridge vents are at the top of the roof and allow for a effective way to release hot air. They are low maintenance and have low visibility. Ridge vents allow for continuous airflow. Homes that have long roof ridges typically do well with ridge vents.

Gable Vents (Intake and Exhaust)

Located on the sides of an attic space, gable vents allow for cross ventilation. They are common on many types of homes because they are easy to install and can be used as a supplement to other vents.

*Soffit Vents (Intake)

These vents are under the eaves of the roof and allow cool air to enter the attic. Soffitt venting allows for more balanced ventilation and is pretty efficient.

Box Vents (Exhaust)

Also known as roof louvers, these vents are on the roof itself, usually on the roof’s peak. Box vents are usually affordable, easy to install and are low profile. Homes that have smaller roofs benefit best from this type of venting.

Turbine Vents (Exhaust)

Turbine vents are spinning vents that use wind to pull hoy air out of the attic space. Being that they are wind powered, these vents don’t require electricity. Turbine vents, also called whirlybirds, are most effective in areas with more wind.

Powered attic vents (Exhaust)

These vents force hot air out of the attic by using electric or solar power. Known for being high performance and ideal for hotter climates.

Having the proper venting systems is important and having the right ones for where you live and how your home is setup is especially necessary. The right venting style will also depend on the roof style and energy goals. In cooler climates, ridge and gable vents work best while in hotter, humid climates, ridge vents with soffits and powered fans are more effective.