You may not spend any of your time in the attic, but you need to take steps to ensure attic durability if you want to prevent structural damage and keep heating and cooling costs down. Here are three strategies to reduce moisture problems and energy loss.

• Seal air leaks: The ceiling of the upper floor in your home might not be sealed properly, which allows warm, moist air to rise into the attic. This wastes energy and increases your utility bills in the winter. The rooms that are most likely to generate warm, moist air are the kitchen and bathrooms. The dryer vent is an issue you need to address as well. If it vents into the attic, you could be sending moist air into the enclosed space to promote mold growth and compromise attic durability. Make sure the dryer vents outside and that the attic floor is well sealed.
• Insulate the attic: Sealing air leaks is the first step, but you should follow up by insulating the attic floor as well. Insulation acts as a blanket to further aid in preventing warm air from rising out of your home and increasing your energy bills. When adding insulation the attic, make sure you also insulate the eaves, but be careful not to cover the vents there.
• Ventilate the attic: If you don’t have vents at the eaves of your roof, install them to allow fresh air to circulate into the attic. This is important for drying up any moisture that manages to get in. Pair the vents at the eaves with ridge vents the peak of the roof so air has a place to rise and escape.

Moisture is the enemy of attic durability, but by taking these steps, you reduce the chance of moisture problems in the attic. For more information about improving attic durability, or for help implementing these tips, please contact us at Overland Park Heating & Cooling in Kansas City today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about attic durability and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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