Attic Temperature In Summer

Summer attic air temperatures with reflective roof peak at or slightly above outdoor air ambient.

Attic temperature in summer.

If you ve ever had to go digging through your attic in the summer to try and find something you realize immediately the temperature in your attic is noticeably hotter. Quelch the heat wave. Cold outdoor temperatures especially below freezing can wear on your furnace. The temperature in your attic can reach 150 degrees on a hot summer day a situation that if left unchecked can drive up cooling costs by as much as 40 percent.

Attics can reach temperatures of 150 to 160 degrees f during a summer day although outside air temperatures are only 95 to 97 degrees f. And it can cause your air conditioner to work harder than it needs to and send your energy bills soaring with the temperature. When it comes to adjusting the thermostat of your attic s fan it s best to adjust it to approximately 90 to 95 degrees. However attic ventilation had only a minor effect on roof shingle temperature.

Hang pencil and paper next to the thermometer and record the outdoor and attic temperatures. Hang an outdoor thermometer in your attic making sure its range reaches at least 130 degrees fahrenheit. Hot summer weather poses the opposite problem for maintaining recommended attic temperatures. An unventilated attic can reach 150 degrees in the heat of summer 50 degrees higher than it should be.

Summer attic air temperatures with old terra cotta colored asphalt shingles peaked at 140 to 145 at 18 above the blown in fiberglass insulation layer at the attic floor. An overheated attic can bake asphalt shingles on the roof and cause them to deteriorate. If your attic has less than r 22 insulation 7 inches of fiberglass or rock wool or 6 inches of cellulose you should add more. The results of this study showed that during the summer in illinois attic ventilation could lower attic air temperature by 28 f 15 5 c and sheathing temperature by almost 10 f 5 5 c.