With no way out, walls and airtight ceilings makes homes more insulated and energy-saving, but more humid too. Roof ventilation is the way to prevent this.
Roof ventilation is usually achieved through ridge vents or powered fans by shuttling away hot air from the attic and letting in cooler air to reduce energy bills and enhance indoor comfort.
Improves Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air can then be vented out through the roof and attic, letting fresh outdoor air enter so pollutants and allergens don’t become trapped and accumulate, and improving air quality. This is especially important in buildings that may see many of its occupants suffer from respiratory or allergy issues.
Ventilation decreases interior temperatures and, during summer months, lowers the electrical load on your air conditioner (if you have one), saving you energy dollars and saving energy too!
Hot or cold spots throughout the house may be a signal that your roof venting is not working properly. Ridge and gable vents and power fans are a must because that hot air needs to be escaping in the summer while cold air needs to be permeating the house in the winter.
Prevents Moisture Buildup
Moisture build-up from occupancy can create serious problems in an attic or other roof space, such as mould growth and respiratory illnesses. Breathing can make wood rot easily. Ventilation helps prevent all of that by letting the warm air get out.
An adequately ventilated attic won’t allow moisture to condense on a warm surface – insulation or drywall – and instead the surfaces will remain drier, more sound, healthier and rot-free for as long as possible, thus increasing the life expectancy of the building envelope as a whole.
Roof ventilation is also important in cold climates to prevent ice dams, which are dangerous and expensive buildups of snow that melts underneath the dam and refreezes again, and can cause serious structural damage to buildings. With adequate roof ventilation, the attic temperatures remain even, minimising the risk of ice dams while also improving overall safety of the building.
Prevents Ice Dams
Besides being ugly, ice dams can create or exacerbate a whole menagerie of hazards: leaky roofs, damaged gutters and fascia, infiltration of water into walls and insulation, structural rot and, in some cases, structural failure. Proper roof ventilation keeps the attic at a uniform temperature, and significantly decreases conditions associated with ice damming.
Warm air from your house grows that is in your attic can heat the lower surface of your roof and cause the snow to melt on that surface which may then refreeze at or near the perimeter of the roof before draining off, forming an ice dam at or near the eave. Once an ice dam forms, it can prevent snowmelt from draining off the roof. The way to prevent ice dams from forming is to have adequate roof ventilation, that is, both ridge venting as well as soffit venting with baffles at the eaves to maintain the lower level of your attic at a relatively constant cool temperature.
Extends Roof Lifespan
Proper ventilation is an important aspect of any roof. Heat and moisture can accumulate and deteriorate materials quickly, requiring costly repairs or eventual replacement. Ventilation protects against this scenario by regulating temperatures and creating flow in your attic space to keep temperatures suitable and breathable, maintaing air flow in the space as well.
Moisture will accumulate in the absence of under-ventilated attic airflow, creating an environment that welcomes mould growth, rotting wood and, in some cases, ice dams that wreak havoc on roof shingles and leak water into homes, causing significant damage.
With a well-ventilated attic, cool air can be kept trapped inside during summer months; as a result, your cooling system won’t need to work as hard, which could result in lower energy bills. Good air circulation can also allow temperatures to remain warmer during winter, limiting ice dams, as well as moisture damage and moisture intrusion to your insulation and shingles.
Reduces Energy Bills
Adequate ventilation not only ensures your roof’s integrity and lowers your risk of structural damage, but it can also trim your energy costs. Without ventilation, the heat created in your attic by natural and man-made sources will raise attic temperatures considerably. This in turn forces your cooling system to work more overtime to keep indoor temperatures at a comfortable level.
Installing roof ventilation that moves hot air (such as a ridge vent or powered fan) out of the attic space decreases the heating of living spaces, meaning that a cooling system doesn’t have to work as hard to keep us comfortable on hot summer days, which saves energy and money.
Especially for homeowners, rooftop ventilation can be most beneficial in the wintertime when it prevents ice dams from forming, avoids the accumulation of moisture that can damage insulation and create mould and mildew, and ensures a circulation of air so that condensation does not run down the roof and touch wooden beams or trusses that could warp or rot over time.