Solar Attic Vents
Solar Attic Vent Options
When you consider how hot the temperature can get inside your attic, it’s easy to see why proper ventilation is so important. During the summer, your rooftop can reach 190 degrees leading to higher cooling costs and the accelerated aging of shingles.
Inadequate ventilation can also cause damage during the winter. A natural flow of outdoor air to ventilate the attic helps keep it cold, which reduces the potential for ice damming (snow that melts off a roof from an attic that is too warm and then refreezes at the gutters, causing an ice dam that can damage the roof).
Tamko Solar Attics Vents
You have a lot of options when it comes to ventilation. Some of the latest options in this arena are solar powered. TAMKO Building Products has a new Solar Attic Vent that runs entirely on the energy the vent collects from the sun each day.
The solar attic vents start collecting energy as soon as the sun rises and can operate from dawn to dusk without any other power source from the homeowners. These solar-powered vents are made from durable materials including tempered glass and UV-stabilized ABS color-dyed plastic and can also be painted to match the roof color. The TAMKO Solar Attic Vents has an optional cold-weather thermostat (purchased separately) that automatically disengages the fan when the temperature falls below 50˚F. This is particularly useful in regions that experience a significant amount of cold dry air.
TAMKO’s Solar Attic Vent also has four different mounting options, including an option that allows the solar panel and the vent to be installed in separate locations to provide a solution for homeowners that are sometimes turned off by the appearance of bulky ventilators on their roofs.
If you decide to ventilate your attic, with a solar model or another option, make sure not to block the flow of air. Attic fans and ventilation units are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents and pushing hot air to the outside. If your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well-sealed from the rest of the house, attic fans will suck cool, conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. This will use more energy and make your air conditioner work harder, which can increase your utility bill.