Whether you’re using your lofts as a functional space, such as a bedroom or office, or using it as a place to store your belongings, you’re going to want a solution to cool down your loft and prevent heat from being too intrusive in your activities.
Why do lofts get so hot?
Before we look at how to cool down your loft, it’s essential to understand how and why your loft is so hot in the first place.
Lofts are naturally prone to overheating. As your loft is at the top of your house and heat rises, hot air will work its way up through your home before reaching its final destination. Combined with the fact that your loft rests under your roof, which will get a lot of contact from the sun on hot summer days, radiating through the tiles on the roof surface and transferring into the loft and creating a lot of hot air.
Ways to cool down your loft
There are various methods to keep your loft cool and make it more energy-efficient.
Loft Insulation
Insulation acts as an effective barrier against temperature extremes, making it a helpful method to cool down your loft and keep the heat out. It is also advantageous to keep the cold out and the heat in during the winter.
You want high-quality insulation in your loft, as it will ensure that the cool air can’t escape your home. Many loft’s boarding squashes insulation, preventing it from working effectively. Raised loft boarding is a perfect solution to help protect your insulation by providing an air gap between the floor boarding and the insulation to prevent compression. This raised StoreFloor boarding will allow your insulation to retain its full depth and work properly, keeping your loft cool.
Install an Air Conditioning Unit
Air conditioning is a cheap and sufficient way to keep your loft cool, especially if it is a more functional room used regularly. AC will keep the temperature at a constant, comfortable level.
You can simply plug the appliance into an outlet in the wall to cool the area quickly and effectively. An AC unit will require proper ventilation to pump the hot air outside and cool your loft, either through a window or soffit.
Loft Ventilation
Vents and exhausts in your loft are a great way to prevent stagnant hot air from causing your loft to overheat. Various vent types can allow the airflow to push out the hot air and cool down your loft.
The most popular are intake vents installed under your roof’s overhang, where it is out of sight and protected from the weather.
Skylights/windows
A window can also act as a vent to the outside, allowing the hot, stuffy air to leave the house and cool down your loft efficiently. If you’re considering this option, an effective method is to place windows on opposite sides of the loft room to create airflow and cool down your loft during hot days.
You can also get blackout blinds for these windows to block sunlight and provide essential shade in the room to reduce heat.
Seal the gaps
Any cracks or holes in your loft space will allow the hot outside air to seep in. Not to mention it puts you at risk of water damage. Weatherproof caulk is a cheap option to plug these holes and ensure your loft isn’t leaking or letting in air.
Reflective roofing
Rather than cooling your loft down, reflective roofing is a good way of preventing the loft from getting hot in the first place. The heat from the sun shining on your home is absorbed through the roof, causing the loft to overheat. A reflective roof will deflect these rays away, stopping it from getting too hot.
Some of these methods homeowners can do themselves while others may be more complex and costly, requiring professional assistance.
Depending on how hot your loft gets and what you use it for may dictate how serious you want to be using some of these methods; however, all should effectively reduce heat and keep your loft cool, even in the summer.
Get in touch with a member of the team to see how we can assist to cool down your loft , making it a comfortable and efficient space.