Do you have an attic bedroom that doesn’t have windows around it? To many, this question might sound unrealistic. This might be because almost all rooms found in a house big or small have windows. But believe or not. There are so many attic rooms out there that have been turned into bedrooms and yet they do not have the windows.
During summer these attic bedrooms get too hot and stuffy. In this condition, you will with no doubt find the room uncomfortable to be in. It is very vital to keep your attic room cool. Before you learn how you can cool an attic bedroom, it will do you good to know the reasons why you should cool an attic bedroom.
Below are some of the reasons;
Keeping your attic bedroom cool will make your home even cooler. Think about this example, while using an oven, your kitchen becomes hotter by each second, right? In the same sense, that’s how your attic room behaves whenever the temperature is high. The heat energy is radiated all over your home making it hotter.
A cool attic room will extend the life of your roof. Your roof constantly gets heat from two directions. One direction is from the sun and the other one is the hot air beneath it. The two combined will damage your roof not long before roofing.
Now that you have some of the reasons you need to cool your attic room, in this article, you will learn how to cool an attic bedroom with no windows. Here are some 4 genius ideas that you can use to cool your attic bedroom.
Renovate Your Roof
A dark roof will absorb sunlight and convert it into heat energy. As a result, your attic bedroom will heat up. So while you renovate your roof, the idea is to eliminate the absorption of sunlight and promote the reflection of the sunlight. How are you going to achieve this? First and foremost, you should consider the type of roof you have. Shop or find a roof coating that will make the existing roof surface reflect the sunlight, as a result, your roof will do away with the absorption of too much light energy. At the end of the day, you will have a cool attic bedroom for your sleep and relaxation moment.
Attic Insulation is the Way Forward
There are so many ways that one can use to cool his or her attic bedroom. But all this way will be useless if you have an improperly insulated attic. This is because a badly insulated attic will not only let in the heat but will also allow the heat to flow right into your house.
Even if you have an air conditioner it will, on the other hand, the system will have it hard to keep your home cool. You might have doubts about choosing the best insulating solution for your home, do not be troubled because today is your lucky day.
The following are some of the best insulating solutions for your attic bedroom.
The Spray Foam Insulation
This spray foam insulation has a huge R-value and it is water-resistant too. As a result, the unwanted heated air will be forced out of your home and you will have a cool environment in your attic bedroom.
The Blown Insulation
If you are a builder you can consider the blown insulation. You should make sure that it is installed properly. This type of insulation improves the energy efficiency of your attic bedroom. It decreases the production of carbon dioxide and utility bills too.
If you are conscious about the environment you can consider the installation of the loose-fill in your attic bedroom. If you settle on this you should be aware that this type of installation can be found in a few options. These are; cellulose, mineral wool and fiberglass.
All these loose-fill insulations contain recycled materials. Cellulose has boxes and shredded newsprint that are chemically treated as mold resistance and for fire. The mineral wool contains rocks and slag which are recycled from industrial waste. The fiberglass is made of recycled glass which is transformed into fibers. The following are some of the things you need to consider to benefit more on this type of insulation.
Find the correct R-value – the capability of a material to resist heat is measured by the R-value. The reason behind this is that these loose-fill insulation materials differ in the R-value. For you to attain the required level of insulation, you are required to work on them at different densities. You should also be able to adjust the amount of settling that might come up after some time and affect the R-value that you have installed.
At the back of your mind, you should have more knowledge about this type of insulation. For example, 20 percent of the R-value in cellulose is lost. So you will be required to work with an additional 20 percent more for your attic bedroom while installing. The percentage of settling for the mineral wool and the fiberglass will not affect the thermal performance.
No fluffing or gaps – if you install the insulation without considering the right density gaps will be formed in the attic bedroom. This will reduce the R-value. This also weakens the insulation effectiveness. To allow the heat and air to pass through it the installation thickness should be minimized.
Place it appropriately – loose-fill insulation is the best for your attic bedroom. This is because generally in the attic is where this insulation works best. Place the insulation at least three inches from your ceiling. To prevent problems to do with moisture and molds all you have to do is to install baffles and block the soffits.
Proper drying – ensure the loose-fill insulation gets enough time needed for it to dry. Note that if the cellulose insulation does not completely dry it might not reach the R-value requirements.
Work On Your Ventilation
Having a properly vented attic bedroom will be effective in ensuring that the hot air in your room is directed outside. Remember the focus is on how to cool an attic bedroom with no windows. With the ventilation, you can decide to be creative and have it made. For example, you can have a builder or someone to make the ventilation just above the door into your attic bedroom.
Ventilating your attic bedroom works best with the attic insulation. Doing this will ensure that hot air will not enter the attic bedroom from outside. Cooling your attic bedroom with no windows should not give you a headache because there are so many different types of ventilation that you can go for. The following are types of attic ventilation that you can settle on;
- Skylights
- Ridge vents
- Gable vents
- Box vents
- Soffits vents
All you need to do is to check your ventilation. If you doubt the way it works in terms of cooling your attic bedroom, then all you are required to do s find an expert to help you to pick the best ventilation for your attic bedroom.
Get an Attic Electric Fan
When it comes to the motion about which type and the brand of electric fan one should pick the list is long. The following are examples of fans that you can install in your attic room to make it cool.
Roof-mounted fans – while installing this type of a fan for your attic bedroom, you will be required to cut a small section of your roof. The installation process can be compared to a walk in the park. You will not have a difficult time installing it. But on the other hand, if you find it difficult to install you can always contact professionals to do the work for you.
Wall-mounted fans – these fans are designed to stick or fit onto the gable wall while installing. This means you will not find the need to make any changes in your attic bedroom.
Apart from the four ideas above you can also add an extra air conditioner in your house. All you have to do is to be familiar with your cooling needs. In this case, the focus is on an attic bedroom. This is a place that is regularly used. You spend almost eight hours in this room. And for this reason, you might want to consider getting an extra air conditioner. Better still you can always extend the central air conditioning system to your attic bedroom.
Conclusion
Attic rooms are generally known to get very hot but there are some precautions you need to take especially if you use your attic as your bedroom.
- Always make sure the person using the attic room stays hydrated throughout.
- Adding ventilation in your attic bedroom can be an easy job but you should always involve professionals in areas that you are not sure of.
