Attic Is Cold In An Old House

Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old.

Attic is cold in an old house. If the attic is unfinished the insulation should be installed on the floor. Your actual living space is sealed and insulated at the attic floor the attic is outside this envelope. Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house. Hot air exhaust vents located at the peak of the roof allow hot air to escape.

By chris deziel it may seem incongruous to allow cold air into your attic in the middle of winter but attic venting is an important climatic control that protects your house from moisture rot and. Your actual living space is sealed and insulated at the attic floor the attic is outside this envelope. Due to your attic s location at the top of your house it can be a major location for energy loss especially if you lack sufficient insulation. Also make sure your attic is ventilated.

As mentioned most heat loss is typically through the roof. The exfiltration of warm interior air through your attic and the infiltration of cold outside air through your basement or crawl space could be to blame. The majority of heat loss and gain occurs in your attic. The insulation must meet doe standards.

If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the manufacturer s warranty. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. Read more about the 3 types of heat here.

Taking advantage of this natural process referred to as passive ventilation is the most common way to vent an. Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house. The answer to making an old house inhabitable is insulation. Gable vents around 25 each plus 75 per vent for labor can lower attic temperatures about 10 degrees.

If you have an unfinished and unconditioned attic like many old houses my first recommendation would be to add batt insulation on the underside of the roof. Since warm air has a tendency to rise and cool air to fall insulating the attic is the place to start. The insulation materials used in older houses are not as effective in keeping heat in as the new ones. When reroofing use white or pale gray shingles instead of dark ones.

If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the manufacturer s warranty. The attic is often the easiest place to add insulation.