An Eco-Friendly Way to Ventilate Your Attic: Tubular Solar Vents​

Attic ventilation is a key component of any home’s heating and cooling systems. Without proper ventilation, moist, hot air will stagnate in the attic, causing temperatures to rise to severe levels, essentially turning the attic into a giant oven. This giant oven can retain heat so well that the interior of your attic can begin to “bake” – the moisture will turn into mold and the structure of the attic can develop heat damage and cracks. 

For this reason, roof vents have been installed in various forms for over a century. Roofers quickly figured out that allowing cool air to flow into the attic and warm air to flow out of it prevented heat damage and made the air inside the home safer and more breathable.

What are Solar Vents?

For the last fifty years, the mushroom-style “hat vents” have been the go-to solution for attic ventilation. These vents run continuously and allow the hot air trapped in the attic out. These are called “outtake vents” because they’re specifically designed to move bad air out of the attic. Paired with “intake vents” located in different places in the attic, a steady flow of good air comes in to force the bad air out. Overall, this system has worked well for many homeowners.

A new solution, solar vents, gives homeowners more choice in the type of attic ventilation they want in their homes. Solar vents work similarly to the “hat vents” but they offer a few key differences. They’re much easier to install. Solar vents do not require any wiring or connection to the home’s electric systems. 

How do They Work?

Solar vents work exactly like other attic ventilation fans, they are just powered differently and for longer periods of time. The solar panels on the roof vent convert sunlight to electricity, and then the electricity continually powers the fan. Like most solar-powered electronics, the fans store extra electricity generated by the sun and use the reserved power to run the fan during the dark and on cloudy days. 

Installed correctly, solar vents dramatically improve the airflow through the attic, saving the homeowner money. A homeowner who wants to know the cost of installation can multiply the square footage of their attic by .7 to determine the cubic feet per minute that they need to keep the attic cool. Take the much easier route and call U. B. Code Roofing for advice and a free estimate. 

Benefits

Like most new technologies, solar tube vents improve upon an already effective technology. Standard roof vents are effective, but depending on how they are installed and how they run, they can require maintenance or replacement that can be avoided with solar vents. Solar vents usually come with ten to fifteen-year warranties because they are more reliable.

Solar vents can also reduce your electric bill by a ton, even if you are currently using wind-powered roof vents, as the solar tube vents will run year-round. In the summer, the fan will keep fresh air moving through the attic, working with your air conditioning system instead of against it. In the winter, the fan will ensure that moist, hot air doesn’t stagnate in the attic and hence prevent mold from growing. 

This improved attic ventilation even lengthens the life of your shingles, as they are kept cooler and dryer year-round. The right attic ventilation will pay for itself over time. 

Contact U.B. Code Roofing

If you think that solar tube vents might benefit your home and electric bill, call U. B. Code Roofing at (303) 458-3790 or visit our website. No matter your roofing needs, we can guide you through the entire process.