Roof damage can cause roof leaks – will these increase your energy bills?

What a drip! If this is what you’re saying about your roof, your home could be in trouble. Roof leaks not only cause mold and rot inside your home, they also increase your energy bills. How can a roof leak cause your energy bills to increase?

Wet Insulation Damages Your Energy Bills

Imagine that you have a warm, fluffy sweater on. When you step outside, this sweater traps your body heat, keeping you warm in the winter time. If that sweater gets soaked by the rain, it will not provide effective insulation, and you’ll get chilly. The same goes for your roof.

For your home, your attic insulation is your sweater. This insulation can work for many years, but if it gets wet, the cellulose or fiberglass insulation becomes saturated with water. Over time, chronic leaks cause the insulation to degrade and, even if it does dry out, the damage has been done. A roof repair early on not only helps you protect your roof and attic from mold, it also protects your insulation and reduces your energy bills.

Prevent Soaring Energy Bills

There are many ways to reduce your energy bills. You can add awnings in the summer and focus on fans instead of using the air conditioning. You can put on a sweater in the winter and make sure that your doors and windows fit tightly. However, to prevent soaring energy bills, you can also make sure that your home is in good repair.

Your roof plays key roles in protecting and cooling your home. Many people are now part of the cool roof movement, an effort to install light-colored coatings on roofs to help them to reflect the sunlight. Maintaining your home’s insulation is another important way to attend to your energy bills. A poorly-insulated roof means that your home requires more air conditioning in the summer and more heating in the winter. The heat moves in and out of your home easily without the insulation to protect it.

Wet, moldy insulation is not a good insulator.

Use Air to Protect Your Roof

One way to prevent this serious energy concern is to use air to protect your roof. When there is an air space between the insulation and the roof, this prevents humidity from the home from contacting the cold roof and coalescing on the insulation. Leaving an air space allows the insulation and the roof to dry out, reducing concerns about rot and mold. Vent baffles in your attic can also help keep air flow and ensure that your insulation does not get moldy.

A warm, dry home requires dry insulation. Take a look at your roof seasonally to make sure that your shingles are intact and that water and ice are not backing up from the gutter and moving underneath your shingles. If you have roof damage, conduct roof repair as soon as possible to prevent water from leaking into the insulation below.

Are you looking for a new roof or roof repair? Learn more about roofing with Lednor Home Solutions. Our roofing products will keep your home dry even in the wettest months of the year.

Written by Del Thebaud