Consider These Improvements for Your Attic or Basement

Attic and basement spaces are frequently overlooked, especially if they’re not finished or furnished. But if your Portland home has an attic or basement, it may be valuable to invest in improving those spaces — even if you never plan on going into them. Consider these improvements:

• Add insulation. During the summer, the sun hits your roof and warms it well past the temperature of the outside air – and that heat radiates into attic spaces, and down into your living areas. During the winter, warm air rises into attic spaces, and the warmth escapes. Insulation can help to slow both these heat transfers, keeping you cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Basement spaces can benefit from insulation as well, as the ground beneath your home can easily sap warmth from your home.
• Seal and insulate ducts that pass through attic and basement spaces. Ducts may be designed to pass through attics and basements, even if those spaces aren’t conditioned. When that happens, they can leak into those spaces, or shed (or take on) heat as they carry air through them. That means that your cooling and heating dollars may be sapped away before the conditioned air ever makes it to your living areas.
• Add ventilation. Ventilating attic spaces can help to manage temperatures, in the summer especially. Both attic and basement areas can also benefit from ventilation to bring in fresh air and exhaust stale air which otherwise might make its way into the air supply of your home.
• Manage your humidity. Humid, moist or damp areas can provide a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and bacteria, which can eat away at fixtures and threaten your health. If your attic or basement has a humidity problem, a dehumidifier may be necessary to address it.
• Find and seal any leaks. Air escaping from attic or basement spaces reduces the efficiency of your heating and cooling overall.

If you’re curious about how to improve your attic and basement areas, give Roth Home & Cooling a call!