Heat gain is the accumulation of excess heat inside your home. It can come from any source that produces heat, reducing indoor comfort and making it difficult for your air conditioner to cool your home. Here’s a brief introduction on where heat gain comes from and how to prevent it.

Common Sources

Sunlight streaming through your windows can cause indoor temperatures to go up. And as sunshine hits the roof, it can heat the attic to excessive temperatures; this heat will then radiate downward into your home. Walls warmed by sunlight will also conduct heat inward.

Household appliances such as cooking stoves and ovens will produce significant amounts of heat. The use of hot water for bathing or cleaning can also account for heat buildup.

Heat infiltration happens when warm air enters your home through cracks, holes, and other gaps in your building’s structure. Cool air will also be lost through these openings.

Humans produce body heat, and heat and moisture from breathing that can warm an indoor space.

Preventing Excess Heat

There are many ways homeowners can prevent heat gain. Avoid using heat-generating appliances, equipment or tools during the day when outdoor temperatures are highest.

Use curtains, shades and blinds to keep sunlight out, and apply window treatments that block sunlight. Install awnings to shade windows, since less sunlight getting into your home means less heat gain.

Stop the inward flow of heat by increasing the amount of insulation in your home’s walls, floors, ceilings and roof, especially in the attic. Paint roofs and walls with a light-colored paint that reflects heat and sunlight.

Install a ventilation system for the attic to keep it cool and dry, and caulk around windows and doors to seal openings in the building’s structure.

For more information on heat gain and how to prevent it, check out Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating’s air conditioning solutions, or call 888-414-4655.