Energy costs often peak during the winter months, especially here in the Northeast. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that residents of the Northeast account for about 80 percent of the nation’s heating oil consumption!
Not only that, but heating prices have been steadily rising over the years, making winter a tough time for your bank account.
Chances are if you’re reading this article, you’re looking for ways to save money and reduce your energy costs. You’ve probably tried layering up and keeping your thermostat low.
Have you thought about how an energy efficient roof can significantly reduce your bills?
That’s right: roof repair and maintaining an energy efficient roof can save you money this winter. How? Keep reading to find out.
1. Add or Repair Insulation
Insulation is an essential part of keeping your home energy efficient. It keeps the warmth inside the home and keeps that cold winter chill from seeping in.
Many homes and roofs do not have proper insulation. Adding more or repairing insulation that’s been damaged or worn away over the years can have a huge impact on your home’s energy efficiency.
This, in turn, reduces your energy bills.
You can also ask a professional roofer whether your insulation is thick or durable enough for your environment. One estimate shows that you could save 600 dollars per year on energy costs simply by switching from a thinner insulation to a thicker one.
Not only does repairing insulation help directly with energy costs, but it can also help with winter problems like leaks and ice dam prevention.
On top of paying more in energy usage already, these issues can become costly to repair if they occur. They can also further reduce your home’s energy efficiency thanks to an increased risk of insulation damage, roof cracks, and structural damage to your home.
Winter roofing problems like those can be prevented or mitigated with proper insulation, making insulation repair an essential part of energy efficient roofing.
2. Improve Roof Ventilation
Like insulation, ensuring that your roof has proper ventilation is an important component of ice dam prevention, which already will save you money.
Ventilation does more than that, though. You can reduce the amount of air that comes in from outside with insulation, consistent roof maintenance, and timely roof repair, but the fact is that even the most energy efficient roof will have some outside air leak into the home.
Without proper ventilation, this outside air will affect the temperature inside the home. This makes your HVAC system work harder than it should in order to regulate the temperature, increasing your energy use and, thus, your energy bill.
Improving or repairing the ventilation system in your home can help remove any outside air that makes its way inside and can more easily distribute air throughout the home. This reduces how much energy your heating & cooling system uses, which decreases your overall energy bill.
Also like with insulation, proper ventilation is important for ice dam prevention and temperature regulation in the home, both of which are important for reducing roof repair & maintenance costs during the winter.
3. Fix Leaks ASAP
A leaking roof is never an energy efficient roof. The moment you notice a leak, you need to have it repaired by a professional roofer ASAP.
Leaks in your roof allow for outside air to enter the home, which means you’ll use up more energy getting the house warmed up again.
Not only that, but leaks can wreak havoc throughout your home. Insulation damage is perhaps the most damaging to your wallet since this will also increase how much energy you need to properly heat & cool your home.
Leaks also greatly increase the humidity in your home. This could lead to increased use of dehumidifiers and your HVAC system to regulate the moisture & temperature in the home, which, again, will increase your energy bills.
Check out our article on how to fix roof leaks ASAP to understand how to identify whether you have a leak. If you think you have a leaky roof, getting it fixed by a professional can reduce your energy costs all winter long.
An Energy Efficient Roof Starts with Proper Repair and Maintenance
There are certainly other ways to get an energy efficient roof including a roof replacement with new and more energy efficient materials & special roof coatings to promote efficiency.
However, we don’t think those options are as applicable in the Northeast during the winter time (trust us… we know!). That’s why we wanted to give you more actionable and immediate winter roofing solutions to save you money in the long run.
At Farina Roofing, we have years of experience working on local homes and buildings in the Northeast. We understand how harsh (and expensive!) New England winters can be.
If you need a roof repair and want a professional who truly understands local homes, you’ve found it with Farina. Contact us today to set up a consultation or to get more information on our services.