What is Soffit on a House? Why Soffits are Important for your Home

Soffits come in two styles which are vented and non-vented soffit. Vented soffits are perforated which helps to secure proper airflow throughout your roof during the summer to allow heat to escape and cold air to flow into the eaves during the winter to prevent large damaging ice dams from forming on your roof.

When installing soffits on your home, it’s important to not use insulation in the area where the soffit was installed because that would defeat the whole purpose of the soffit in the first place – to allow air circulation throughout the attic. During the summer, it’s crucial to let the hot air escape and cool air to come into the attic to prevent excessive mold buildup and to keep the attic from overheating.

An overheating attic can lead to many problems to occur in your home such as:

• An Increased electric bill
• A/C or Heater having to work much harder to regulate home temperatures inside
• Ice dam buildup during the winter
• Mold, Mildew, and Fungi buildup
• Decreased property value

Soffits are not the only factor in keeping your attic cool, you still need to have a properly installed roof, proper roof ventilation, and attic insulation or in order for your attic and home to stay safe and as energy efficient as possible.

Now you may think to yourself, why on earth would you have non-vented soffit if air circulation is important? In some roof structures that have vented gables, ridge vents, or box vents in place, vented soffits may not be required. It’s always best to consult with your roofing and siding contractor before deciding to install soffits on your home, vented or non-vented.