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Keep your heat from escaping
Going Green
Going Green: Keep your heat from escaping
This time of year is a great time to look for evidence of home heating inefficiencies, like icicles and roofs where the snow melts very quickly, and where the snow melts first on your roof is a clue to where heat is escaping explains Paul Crovella, an instructor in sustainable construction management.
“So previous work done on the house which opened up a pathway internal to a wall where plumbing goes, where there's mechanical venting or ductwork, if not properly sealed heat gets to the roof and as you drive home and take a look at our roof, it's talking to you. There's heat coming up there,” said Paul Crovella, SUNY ESF.
Now, icicles on your roof are not necessarily a sign of problems, in fact some icing is expected at the roofline.
“Ice damming, typically, is taken care of when roofing a house. Today's code requires a self-sealing barrier. Basically a pool liner for about three feet up the roof deck recognizing the fact that you're not going to eliminate all ice damming. Now, excessive ice damming is due to problems with insulation in that upper space and ventilation,” said Crovella.Adding insulation may do the trick but to be sure you're spending your money wisely, Paul advises using a contractor certified by the Building Performance Institute.
Your windows also offer a telltale sign of inefficiency. Frost on the inside of a window is a sign of heat loss.
“If it's not yet to the point where it's frost, if it's just condensation that can create problems, too. And when you have either frost or liquid water on the inside of your window it's an indication of heat loss and that window should be doing a better job keeping heat from escaping from the building,” said Crovella.
If you can't afford to replace the windows then cover them with plastic.
