When the weather cools down, you and your family most likely start creating lists for projects to tackle around the house. In addition to fall yard cleanup, you also have to get your home ready for the colder months ahead!
Steps like turning off your outdoor water spigots, rolling up hoses and cleaning out gutters are all essential tasks to help you avoid water and property damage. However, it’s also crucial to focus on indoor projects, like getting your attic ready for the change in season.
Did you know that you have to address your attic space before each winter season? Let’s break down more about how to prepare your attic for winter so you can enjoy a more comfortable season without the worry of suffering from energy loss or home damage.
To start, it’s important to know what your attic does for your home. Its role is certainly more important than simply being the home for all of your holiday decorations and boxes of old clothes! Attics serve as an important buffer between your roof and the rest of your home. It assists in temperature regulation, which helps prevent your living areas from getting too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
Attics are also important sources for ventilation throughout your house. Air should be moving throughout your home continuously. Proper ventilation helps cut down on moisture issues, humidity problems and mold growth. It also ensures that your conditioned air doesn’t get stagnant or create uneven temperatures in different areas of your home.
As your air moves around your house, it will slowly rise into your attic where it will be passively moved out through your attic vents. This allows your home to keep your conditioned air inside for as long as possible while also encouraging proper ventilation.
Attics also support your home’s energy efficiency! If your attic is sealed and insulated the right way, it will work alongside your HVAC system and the rest of your home to keep heat in your living areas for a longer period of time before it makes its way up and out. A more efficient HVAC system means less strain on your electricity usage, which will directly lower your bills each month.
So how do you prepare your attic for winter to reap all these benefits? Let’s dive right in!
Insulation is often the unsung hero of a home, especially when it comes to your attic space. Insulation works tirelessly day in and day out to help keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It works by trapping and slowing heat transfer within the material. Attics that are properly insulated support the rest of your home no matter the season.
Without the right kind and amount of attic insulation, your furnace will only be heating your actual living areas for a marginal amount of time. That warm air will quickly rise to your attic and will escape out of your roof before it really has a chance to do much of anything in your home. That sounds like a lot of money and energy wasted!
Having your attic insulated by a trusted insulation contractor is a great way to ensure your attic is ready for the colder months ahead. It will keep the heat in your home longer, which will make you more comfortable and will also save you money on your energy bill every month.
In addition, attic insulation is beneficial in these other ways:
While attic insulation is a crucial part of winter home preparations, it needs to be paired with a professional air gap sealing to perform its best. Drafts and tiny air leaks can cause all kinds of problems in your home, even if you have insulation already in place.
That unconditioned external air will quickly force its way into your living spaces, which will cause your HVAC system to run more often to reverse the temperature imbalance. These small gaps in your home can also invite moisture inside, which can result in stubborn mold problems or frustrating water damage.
Investing in a professional air gap sealing is the best way to ensure all of your gaps are sealed up tight. They have access to professional equipment that uses thermal imaging to locate air loss and air leaks, which can sometimes be hard to see with the naked eye. Once they are sealed, new insulation can also be added for additional protection in your attic.
Of course, your attic can only work properly if your roof is clear and ready to work as well. Roofs that are covered with pine needles, leaves and other yard debris can pile up on your roof and effectively trap water and mold spores against your shingles. Over time, this stagnant water can break down your roofing material, which can lead to water or pests getting into your attic.
The longer water is left to leak in your attic, the bigger the chance that it will eventually leak down into your living spaces. The same goes for pests! The longer you have a pest problem in your attic, the worse it will become and it could even lead to irreversible property damage.
Take the time to get up on your roof before the fall season is over to clear away any debris. This is also a great time to clean out your gutters, as your gutter system works hand-in-hand with your roof and attic to keep your home safe, clean and dry all winter season.
Need help insulating or air sealing your attic before the winter? Call Master Attic today at (800) 285-4009 to schedule your insulation installation.
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