Will Attic Insulation Help in the Summer?
Summers in Southern Ontario can get HOT — in July, the combination of relentless sunshine and humidity keeps many of us indoors with the A/C cranked. However, for many homeowners, nothing seems to prevent indoor temperatures (and energy bills) from rising — except for one thing. Blown in insulation in Toronto is the best and most efficient way to stay cool during the warm month. EcoStar Insulation’s attic insulation services can help solve many common problems with heat, humidity, and high energy bills. Read on to learn more.
How Insulation Can Keep You Cool
Canadians understand how insulation keeps them warm in the winter — what is a winter parka or toque if not an insulating layer? But most people stop thinking about insulation when the summer arrives, even though it plays a critical role in preventing your home from heating up.
Attic insulation acts the same way that a sun hat or umbrella does — it reflects and shades your home from the intensity of the sun’s heat. If your air conditioner can’t keep up with the heat radiating through the roof, your home will feel hot, humid, and uncomfortable. Your air conditioner will also have to run all day long, resulting in high energy bills for little return in comfort.
Three Types of Heat
There are three types of heat that insulation can help block.
1. Convective Heat Transfer
Convective heat happens when liquids or gasses move between spaces, like cracks or gaps in your building envelope. These may range from the obvious (a window open a crack) to the invisible, such as gaps in your attic insulation.
2. Conductive Heat Transfer
If you’ve ever picked up a hot pan without an oven mitt on, you will instinctively understand what conductive heat transfer is. The sun beating down on the roof and the rooms becoming warm is the primary way conductive heat affects your home.
3. Radiant Heat Transfer
Radiant heat can be tricky to prevent since it doesn’t need material to transfer heat. Radiant heat is a process in which heat waves are absorbed, reflected, or transmitted — like the sun being reflected from the surface of a pool.
Understanding the Reverse Stack Effect
One of the things we often hear at EcoStar is, “Doesn’t heat rise?” This is true during the winter: as your furnace warms and replaces air, this heated air will rise to the top of your home because while your home is warm, the exterior environment isn't — and heat always moves to cooler areas.
However, during the summer months, the reverse stack effect occurs. Warm air doesn't rise. Instead, it builds in your attic (thanks to radiant and conductive heat transfer!) and then tries to move into colder areas, like the bedroom or living room.
Blown in insulation in Toronto is your best defence against summer heat transfer. At EcoStar Insulation, our team of experienced insulation experts can help you stop the reverse stack effect and block heat transfer, reducing the load on your appliances and lowering your cooling bills. Contact our team today to learn more about how insulation helps during the summer months.
