Yeah, I ran into the same thing—thought more vents meant better cooling, but my attic just stayed hot. Turns out, the baffles were missing in a couple spots and insulation was jammed right up to the soffits. Once I fixed that, way better airflow. It’s wild how much those little details matter.
That’s exactly what I ran into last summer—just adding more vents didn’t do much until I sorted out the airflow paths. I’m curious, did you notice any difference in your utility bills after fixing the baffles and insulation? I’ve heard some folks say it makes a bigger impact than expected, but I’m not totally convinced unless you’ve got a really bad setup to start with.
I’ve seen this play out on a bunch of jobs, and honestly, the difference can be bigger than people expect—but it’s not always night and day. Just tossing in more vents rarely fixes much if the airflow’s still blocked or unbalanced. I had a client last fall with a 1960s ranch, original insulation, and almost no baffles. Their attic was basically a sauna in July. We pulled out the old insulation, put in proper baffles, and made sure the soffit vents weren’t choked with old paint and spider webs. Then we blew in new cellulose.
After that, they told me their AC ran way less—like, noticeably less. Their July bill dropped about 18% compared to the previous year, which is pretty solid. But I’ve also worked on houses where the setup wasn’t as bad to start with, and the savings were maybe 5-7%. It really depends on how bad things are before you start. If your attic’s already got halfway decent airflow and insulation, you’re not going to see a miracle.
One thing I always notice: people underestimate how much heat builds up in a poorly vented attic. Even if you don’t see a huge change on your bill, your AC or furnace isn’t working as hard, which means less wear and tear over time. That’s not as easy to measure, but it matters.
If you’re in a humid area, getting the airflow right also helps keep the roof deck dry and prevents mold. I’ve seen some gnarly rot from blocked soffits and no baffles—stuff that costs way more to fix than just sorting out the ventilation in the first place.
Bottom line, it’s not always dramatic on paper unless your setup was really bad, but it does make a difference. And sometimes it’s about comfort and long-term durability as much as monthly savings.
Had a place last spring—split-level, mid-70s, original fiberglass batts mashed down to nothing and maybe two working soffit vents. The attic was so hot you could barely breathe up there by noon. We cleared the vents, added baffles, and topped up the insulation. The owner didn’t see a massive drop on their bills, but they said the upstairs finally felt livable in August. Sometimes it’s more about fixing those hot spots and making the house comfortable, not just chasing numbers. I’ve also seen folks go overboard with roof vents and actually mess up the airflow... balance is key.
That sounds like a solid approach. I’ve been through something similar—old insulation, barely any airflow, and the attic would just bake all summer. After adding baffles and making sure the soffits were actually clear, it was a night-and-day difference upstairs. I agree, chasing perfect energy savings isn’t always realistic, especially in older homes. Comfort matters just as much. And yeah, too many roof vents can actually pull conditioned air out of the house if you’re not careful... it’s all about getting that balance right.
