How To Keep Your Attic Cool During The Extreme Heat

By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- One of the worst places for the heat to build up is in your attic. Temperatures there can reach as high as 130 degrees during the summer.

Summertime could be trouble for an often forgotten part of your home, the attic.

"When you have a heat extreme and heat warnings it'll go well above 130," James Boyd, A-Best Roofing, said.

James Boyd and his team are spending the week installing a wood shake roof. He says this style helps cool your attic because it allows the roof to breathe.

Homeowner Jan Tipton says she'll do anything to bring down her utility bills.

"It's real important because that's what we're paying for our energy bills, to keep the house insulated and as cool as possible and the roof and insulation and all that plays a part," she said.

An attic vent is another way to lower the temperature. Static vents and turbines allow the heat to escape, gable or soffit vents draw in the cool air and help the other vents work better, and ridge vents are new to the industry, each one is placed on the peak of your roof.

"They all work efficiently," Boyd said. "The whirly-birds have been on homes for decades now so as long as there's enough draw, say your gable vents or soffit vents, then you should have equally as much exhaust on the home."

Besides saving money on your energy bill, having a well ventilated attic can be good for all that stuff you keep up there.

"We try to keep as little in there as possible," Tipton said.

Tipton said she doesn't keep fabrics in her attic but is a bit concerned about the Christmas decorations. She's expecting the new roof to have a positive impact on her monthly bills.

"Hopefully all the little things you do add up to something greater," she said.

Boyd says the heat can also damage your roof by frying it from the inside out. He says it depends on the style of home as to which vent you should use.

8/4/2010 Related Story: Heat Causing Tulsa Water Lines To Break