Attic Heat

When it's this hot outside - the first place heat is getting trapped is your attic. Once it's in the attic, it's very easy to get into your home. So even if you're running your AC, it still may not be as cool as you would like it to be.

Hot air gets trapped in your attic, especially if there isn't a mechanism to move the air around (like an attic fan). The trapped air keeps getting warmer and warmer, and then scientifically heat transfers from warmer to cooler. So if the house is being cooled, the hot air from the attic is going to move to livable space. This is a very common problem, and there are some quick and easy fixes. Upgrades to consider:

1. Buy a reflective coating for your roof. (usually this is marketed for mobile homes, but it does help any roof). Make sure that you follow the instructions on the can and only use where directed by the instructions.
2. Another option is installing a radient barrier inside your attic. This is especially important for homes with a higher pitched roof. Sold at hardware or other improvement stores the barrier is a type of silver 'blanket' (for lack of a better word) that gets stapled to the inside of the roof (on the attic side) to prevent heat from entering. It's similar to those reflective cardboard thingies used in car windows to prevent the stearing wheel from getting too hot. Same Idea. Keep the heat out, and you'll have to cool it less.
3. More on the expensive side is adding a fan. There are several different types. The main two are an attic fan and a whole house fan. An attic fan is a small fan that moves air from the attic and increases circulation. This prevents the "baking" of air and cools the space which then helps the home stay cool. The whole house fan (is exactly how it sounds) which circulates air throughout the whole house, but can be loud and distracting.

If these upgrades seem like too much, you may want to consider adding more insulation to walls and especially in the attic. The less air that leaks, the cooler the air processed by your air conditioner can get. Things to think about...