Winter Effects of an Unvented Attic Vs. Vented Attic

If you’ve ever been in an unventilated attic during the summer, you know how hot and humid it can get. This trapped air can wreak havoc during the summer, causing mold and mildew, rot, and structural damage.

While you may not know it, an unvented attic during the winter faces its own problems. Below, we’ll go over some of the effects of an unvented vs. vented attic during the winter, and what you can do to ensure your attic stays ventilated year-round.

Winter Effects of an Unvented Attic
In the winter, you generally want your home to be sealed and insulated to prevent heat from escaping. But no matter what you do, some of the heat from your home is going to escape into your attic. If your attic is sealed up and unventilated, you’re bound to experience some serious problems, like the following:

• Mold and mildew: Mold and mildew aren’t only summer attic problems, but they can happen in the winter time as well if you’re attic isn’t ventilated properly. As warm, moist air accumulates in your attic, it will condense onto the cooler surfaces, causing the perfect environment for mold and mildew to take hold.

• Ineffective insulation: As moisture builds up in the air in the attic, it can stick to the insulation, causing the insulation to become less effective. This will allow more warm air to escape through your house and can drive up your heating bill.

• Structural damage: Moisture can also cause rot and damage the wood and structure of your home.

• Ice dams: If you live in an area that experiences snow during the winter time, ice dams are a major concern. Ice dams happen when warm air in the attic heats up patches of the roof. When it snows, these warm patches will cause the snow to melt and then refreeze on other sections of the roof, causing water to accumulate, which can wreak havoc on your roof and attic ceiling.

Winter Effects of a Vented Attic
A well-ventilated attic will avoid all of the problems mentioned above. With an attic fan, you can ensure that warm, moist air is consistently exhausted from your attic rather than building up and causing issues. Doing so will save you money and major headaches.

Plus, if you want to become even more energy efficient, you can install a solar attic fan that’s powered by solar power and can use electricity from the grid when there’s no sun.

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