Great Shed Ventilation & Cooling Options

Don’t Let Summer Ruin Your DIY Plans

Has a heat wave already deterred you from working in your shed workshop? Or, have paints, chemicals, or gardening supplies spoiled or been damaged due to the high temperatures reached in your shed? Just like thinking about shed heating in the winter, you must think about how to cool your shed in the summer. Depending on your needs, there are a variety of options for shed cooling. You will find however that, in general, ventilation is the name of the game.

Shed Placement–Keeping You Cool

Let’s start with the exterior of the shed; how can you stop your shed from heating up in the first place? Having your shed in an area of your yard with ample shade can prevent your shed from becoming a greenhouse inside. The only downside to having your shed in a shaded area of your yard is that you could be missing out on sunlight to warm your shed during the colder months of the year. So, it depends on your local climate. If you live in a place that is overwhelmingly warm throughout the year, then permanent shade is a great option. However, if you have concerns about your shed being too cold in the winter time, shade is not the best idea. For temporary shade during the summer months, you can hang shade sails above the structure to keep the sun away from the roof.

Insulation & Paint Colors

Next on your checklist is insulation and paint. Just like a car, having a shed that is painted a lighter color will absorb less sunlight, transferring less heat to the inside of your shed. If your shed is a dark color and you decide to repaint to a lighter color, you might also consider adding in an insulating paint additive. This additive will add an extra layer of protection to the outside of your shed, reflecting even more heat away from your shed and keeping the inside cool.

Awnings & Shade Structures

After dealing with how the exterior of your shed can keep it cool, installing appropriate ventilation is the next step. The first, and perhaps most obvious method, is to install windows. If you intend to use your shed as a workshop, or any activity that involves people hanging out in your shed for any period of time, you should definitely have windows in there. Windows will provide natural light and a pleasant outdoor view, and more importantly, a cross breeze.

If your shed doesn’t already have windows, install windows on opposing sides of your shed to create a cross breeze. Find out which direction winds tend to move through your yard, and install the windows on the appropriate sides of the shed. If bugs tend to be bad where you live, then don’t forget to install a screen on your windows! One downside to windows, other than potentially letting in pests, is that if the sun beats down on them they can tend to contribute to the heat level in your shed. If your shed isn’t covered by any natural shade, you can fix this by installing an awning above the window. The awning will shade the window, preventing direct sunlight from creating an oven out of your shed.

Shed Vents Help Reduce Temperatures

Probably the next most obvious shed ventilating option is actual vents. Vents, however simple they may seem, actually come in a variety of styles and options. Only you will know which kind of vents are best for your shed, but we will go over the pros and cons of all of the common options.

Whirlybirds are very easy to install and provide excellent airflow. If you’re not familiar, whirlybirds are the spinning metal turbines that you see sticking out of the tops of warehouses and the like. When the wind hits the whirlybird, it spins, pulling the hot air that has risen up towards the ceiling of the structure out and spitting it out into the environment. The whirlybird just needs to be adjusted to fit your roof angle (it is most effective when sitting level to the ground) and screwed in. Once you install it, the only maintenance you might need to do is to cover the hole underneath during wet and rainy months. Otherwise, it requires no maintenance. If you aren’t thrilled about a big spinning hunk of metal sitting on the roof of your shed, then a more discreet or decorative vent may be a better choice. It’s also worth noting that if a whirlybird is not installed correctly, it could be a bit noisy.

Louver vents are a low profile way to ventilate your shed. They simply give the hot air in your shed a way to escape. Because of this, they work best when placed up high in the gable of your shed. That way, the air that is escaping through the vent is the hot air that has risen its way up into your shed’s ceiling. Keeping these vents off the ground also decreases the chance that rodents and insects will make their way into the shed. If that is a concern, keep in mind that you can install a screen behind the louver vent. Since louver vents don’t actively pull air through their vents, they aren’t super effective at cooling a scorching shed. If your climate is fairly moderate and you only need a little help keeping your shed ventilated, then just a few louver vents could work for you. If you live in an area in which your shed is unbearably hot for most of the day, louver vents alone won’t do the trick. Combine them with another ventilation option in this list for best results.

A shed cupola is similar to a louver vent in function, but it is built into the shed structure. You can build whatever size cupola your shed may need for proper ventilation, which is a level of flexibility that you cannot quite get from traditional louver vents. A cupola also does not actively pull air through it, but its location on the roof of your shed allows it to effectively give a place for the hot air in your shed to escape. It also requires the most involved installation process of all the other ventilation options in this list, because it is built as a part of the shed itself.

If your shed is large, or you plan on spending most of the hot summer days working inside of it, then free flowing vents such as the ones above might not move enough hot air out of your shed to keep it cool. The next step up are powered vents that contain a fan that constantly pulls air out through the vent. Which powered vents you can put in your shed of course is determined by the power setup you have in your shed. In all likelihood, you don’t have any power hookups in your shed, in which case the following options are well suited to your shed.

Powered Fans & Air Conditioners

Solar powered fans are fairly hands off once installed, and the installation is fairly simple. These fans won’t require any wiring setup to install. Solar panels are bit more expensive than the other cooling options in this list, but you can save a little money by getting a small fan and panel. Small solar powered fans are pretty discreet and quiet. You should get one that has a rechargeable battery so that the fan can run at night, and that serves as a backup in case the solar panel gets damaged. Larger solar fan kits are available, but these will be more expensive. The solar panel will also require a bit more effort to install than the small fans, and once installed, could be a bit of an eyesore on the top of your shed. If you don’t mind the solar panel look and the extra cost, however, large solar powered fans can be a great way to ventilate your shed.

And lastly, the most extreme option, may be buying an air conditioning unit. If pure ventilation isn’t enough to cool your scorching shed to a tolerable level for human use, then you have two last options: portable air conditioning units and window units. If your shed is very small and doesn’t have any windows, then a portable AC is the choice for you. These require power of course, but many operate off of battery power for maximum portability. If you have windows in your shed, a window mounted AC unit would be a more permanent alternative. Window mounted units are relatively easy to install by yourself, just make sure you use caulking to fill any holes in the seal so that bugs and moisture don’t get into your shed.

With one of these options, or a combination of a few, you are sure to have a summer ready shed. Plan on lots of long days in the workshop, or just sleep comfortably knowing whatever you might be storing in your shed won’t be damaged or spoiled by too much moisture or heat. Here’s to a cool summer!