The current soaring cost of living has driven many homeowners to take drastic measures to lower their monthly utility costs. Some have even resorted to removing importessentialappliances like refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and more because they want to reduce energy consumption.
Others are spending huge amounts installing roof ridge vents to keep excess heat out of their houses. Do roof ridge vents lower your energy bills? This article will help you understand how these vents work and how they can make your home more energy-efficient.
Importance of Roof Ridge Vents
A roof ridge vent is an exhaust vent placed on your roof’s peak to allow free air movement. This vent is installed by cutting an air slot in the roof deck and covering it with a ridge vent. This ridge is specially designed to prevent snow and wind-propelled rainwater from getting into the house. With several roof ride vents, you’ll have continuous ventilation.
Installing several roof ridge vents on your roof, especially on different sides, will allow enough air to pass through your attic. These vents are particularly necessary today because modern homes come with better insulations, windows, and weather-stripping features that are likely to trap hot air inside the house if you don’t have proper ventilation. Poor ventilation will force your HVAC system to overwork, thus consuming more energy.
Also, the lack of roof ridge vents will lead to condensation through the windows, especially in winter, leading to unnecessary heat loss. This also forces your heating system to overwork to warm your interior space. If your attic becomes too hot in winter, it will melt the snow stuck on your roof, forming ice dams that can easily damage your roof. But with adequate attic ventilation, temperatures in the attic will remain balanced, preventing ice dams and other winter-related roofing problems.
Roof ridge vents are designed to prevent rodents and insects from getting into your house through the roof. The older roof vents were perfect points for these creatures. Homeowners had to install traps and other barriers to keep them away.
The main downside with roof ridge vents is that they are likely to leak water into the attic during heavy rains, and heavy storms can blow water right into your attic through the vents. These vents are also costlier than other vents. But the good thing is that they’re likely to lower your monthly utility bills if installed and used correctly.
