Can Solar Panels Help Keep My Attic Cool?
If you’re interested in installing solar power or already have a solar system in your house, you are likely already aware that solar panels can save you money in numerous ways, such as reducing your utility bills and generating electricity. But what if we told you that while true, those aren’t the only ways that solar panels can help you save at home?
Intrigued? Join our team at Solar Bear Orlando as we explore reasons why your solar panels can keep your attic cool and how that can impact your energy consumption!
The Importance of Your Attic
Most of the heat that makes its way into your home during Florida’s hot summer months is you guessed it—through the attic. As the sun’s rays shine on your roof, hot shingles or other roofing material send the heat directly down into your attic, raising the heat—sometimes significantly—inside the attic and thus your home.
Remember science class in middle school where you learned the laws of thermodynamics? You likely learned that heat will always travel downward to where it is cooler. This movement of heat will make our home hot and uncomfortable, all the while causing your HVAC system to work harder and harder to keep your home cool.
Now, let’s insert solar panels into this equation. Installing solar panels can reduce solar heat gain and will lead to an overall comfortable and energy-efficient space.
How Solar Panels Keep Your Attic Cool
Solar panels that are installed on your home’s roof can help keep your attic cooler in a few different ways:
- They create a cover that shades your roof, reducing its overall surface temperature.
- Because they are mounted on a racking system that holds them a few inches from your roof, there is an air barrier or gap between the panels and your roof where air can circulate. This helps carry heat away from your attic space. A study done by the University of California San Diego found that highly efficient solar panels can reduce the heat on a roof’s surface by up to 38%!
- Solar panels have a reflective surface, effectively bouncing some of the heat that they absorb away from your home. On average, it has been found that houses with rooftop solar installations enjoy a 5-degree temperature drop in the attic and living areas.
Now, for the best part. Not only do solar panels help keep your roof and attic space cooler, but they also convert the sun’s energy into electricity, so it can be used to power your home and appliances.
Choose Solar Bear Orlando
Ready to install solar panels at your Central Florida home? We’re glad that you’re here! In addition to keeping your attic space cooler and thus keeping your home more comfortable in the hot summer months, solar panels also reduce your carbon footprint, and help you save money! What’s better than that?!
Ready to get started? Contact our friendly team at Solar Bear Orlando today for a quote at (727) 471-7442!