How Can a Roofing Company Reduce Your Energy Consumption?
If your energy bills keep rising, and you have been neglecting your roof, the two may be related. Especially in the colder months, a bad roof can allow heated air inside the house to float up and out, causing you to turn up the heat. If you are sick of high energy bills, check out how a new roof may help save you money.
Roofers Can Fix Holes and Gaps
One reason your roof raises your energy bills is because of gaps. Small holes and gaps in the roof provide no protection against heat loss/heat gain. Therefore, during the summer, heated air leaks inside the cooled house, and in the winter, heated air inside the house escapes via these holes. These holes and gaps can appear anywhere in your home, but they are particularly problematic when on the roof.
The same factors that cause leaks can cause energy loss. This includes damaged shingles and the age of the roof, but a lot of holes and gaps appear around chimneys, skylights and vents. These areas require a literal hole in the roof. The hole is filled with the chimney/skylight/vent, and flashing is used to fully seal any gaps between the roof and chimney/skylight/vent.
When this flashing becomes worn or damaged, however, it no longer fully seals those gaps, allowing air to sneak into or out of the home. Any skilled roofer can easily fix damaged shingles and flashing to boost the insulating properties of the roof.
They Use Energy-Efficient Materials
As technology advancements allow humans to create more and more energy-efficient materials, getting a new roof can help reduce energy consumption naturally. For example, asphalt shingles are great in any climate, but in a cold climate, darker colors are better to absorb as much natural heat as possible. On the other hand, in a hot climate, light colored shingles better reflect the sun to keep the house naturally cooler.
Metal roofs are another highly energy-efficient material, and you can choose colors to better reflect or absorb the heat too. In most cases, however, metal roofs are ideal for keeping cooling costs down because of how well the metal reflects the sun.
They'll Inspect Your Attic
When you think of your roof, you may forget about one important aspect: the underside of the roof or the attic. You can have the most energy-efficient roofing material made, but if your attic is poorly insulated, you are just wasting energy.
The attic needs the most insulation because of its location. Ideally, you shouldn't even be able to see the rafters because the insulation should rise above them. Plus, you need to ensure you have the right R-Value for your region. The R-Value measures the amount of insulation in any given material.
In Pennsylvania, your attic roof insulation should have an R-Value of between R-38 and R-60. Luckily, increasing the R-Value is as easy as just adding more insulation to the old insulation. A skilled roofer can take a peek inside the attic and easily determine if you need more insulation.
Common types of attic insulation include fiberglass batts and loose fill fiberglass. Loose fill fiberglass is easier to use if the attic is finished, and you need to add insulation behind walls and ceilings. Other types of insulation include cellulose, mineral wool and spray foam insulation.
With a well-maintained roof, you can actually reduce how much you spend each month on heating and cooling, making it a great investment for future savings. If you would like to know more about the benefits of getting a new roof, or if you are ready to request a quote, contact us at Leon Construction today.
