Improving Your Roof to Reduce Energy Costs

A poorly insulated home, especially where the attic is concerned, is one of the biggest contributors to a home’s over-consumption of energy. If insulation is made from low-quality material, was installed improperly or is compacted, it won’t perform its job correctly. Please identify the recommended R-values in our region.

Poor insulation can contribute to a process known as heat gain. During hot summer months, the sun heats your roof, which absorbs partially into your attic. Poor insulation may allow a transfer into your home, allowing for heat gain. This forces your home’s air conditioning system to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. While the air conditioner works harder than it needs to during the summer, this unnecessarily drives up your utility costs.

During the winter months, the opposite effect occurs. Poor quality insulation doesn’t sufficiently maintain the heat inside the home. Instead, it allows for the heat inside the home to escape into the attic which is vented to the home exterior. This process is called heat loss. Heat loss forces your home’s heating system to work harder to continue heating the home in order to compensate for the heat loss. As a result, this extra heat consumption is reflected in your monthly energy bills.

Heat loss and heat gain attributed to poor insulation are an overall lack of energy efficiency. This is one of the most important roofing challenges to solve when investing in a new roof to save money on energy bills.

When a home’s roofing system isn’t properly ventilated, it can cause moisture to build up and be trapped inside the attic spaces or rafts. If enough moisture collects, it can turn into condensation or mold. When enough condensation builds up, it can begin dripping onto the insulation. Over time, this can deteriorate the insulation, which encourages heat loss and drives up utility bills. Stagnant and/or moist air allows mold spores to thrive which is an unhealthy presence in your home. Proper roofing ventilation is crucial to maintaining your roofing material and keeping a safe environment for you and your belongings.

Older roofing materials wear out quickly and need replacing more frequently. Roofing materials from previous decades weren’t designed with the same concern for energy efficiency as roofing materials are today. Additionally, roofing materials were often selected out of cost-effectiveness rather than taking into consideration your home’s design and climate. For this reason, older roofing materials may allow additional heat loss or gain, which drives up your utility costs.

Older homes that aren’t up to current code standards haven’t been built with energy efficiency in mind. Upgrading and repairing your roof or replacing it altogether, can bring your roof up to current code. These adjustments will improve the roof’s quality and minimize moisture leakage, as well as heat loss and heat gain.

When poor insulation is replaced with new, high-quality and properly installed insulation, it can drastically improve a home’s energy efficiency levels. In fact, some insulation types are so effective at mitigating heat loss or heat gain that the heating or cooling systems don’t kick in until outside temperatures have reached a certain level. Without the regular and continuous use of heating or cooling, your monthly utility costs will decrease.

New roofing materials and design technology can maximize energy efficiency. With roof replacements we consider your home’s design as well as the climate to provide the correct type of roofing for your situation. Selecting the correct roofing materials can help mitigate heat loss and heat gain in your home. Consider which roofing materials are right for you such as shingles.

New roof underlayment products are available today that are designed to last longer and provide greater moisture protection over time. When making an investment in roofing repairs and installation, you may find comfort installing new synthetic underlayment will protect your home from condensation and moisture damage.

When investing in a new roof, it’s important to consider your climate. With so many new roofing technologies today, homeowners can take advantage of their natural climate in order to improve their home’s energy efficiency. Many country homes near open fields and homes on Tennessee experience high winds and the brutal lake effect winter weather. Installing the right material the right way can protect your home and loved ones for decades to come.

Depending on the age of your home, a full roof replacement may or may not be necessary. Perhaps insulation or ventilation upgrades will suffice to start seeing a difference on your utility costs.

However, if your home is older, it may be in need of a complete roof replacement as repairs or insulation improvements won’t be enough. Consider the long-term energy savings you’ll experience with a complete roof replacement as well as the value it can add to your home.

Some homes are designed with different styles of roofs. Depending on slopes and pitches, certain roof and ventilation designs may be more complex than others. This may determine the type of insulation, ventilation system and roofing materials that will be most effective for your home’s design.