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Energy Guide > Conservation & Efficiency Tips >Roof And Attic Care

ROOF AND ATTIC CARE

Your roof is many things. Not only does it protect your from the searing sun, the driving rain, the cold of winter, whipping winds and debris, your roof is evolution of what home has been to mankind for thousands of years

But do you realize your roof and attic play a big part of your energy usage? A tightly sealed roof and a well-insulated attic keeps your conditioned air in your home and keeps the elements out. Therefore, take a little time to give these important parts of your home a look over.

Inspecting Your Attic

By Chris Dorsi

	Saturn Research Management, Inc.

Your attic contains some of the most important energy details in your home. It's worth taking a look up there periodically to be sure that everything is in order, and to see if upgrades might help you save energy and money.

Insulation: Your attic insulation provides an important barrier against both the cold of winter and the heat of summer, and improving your attic insulation is still one of the best home efficiency investments. Measure your attic insulation. It should be thick and even: at least 16 to 20 inches in cold climates and 12 to 16 inches in moderate climates. Contact an insulation contractor to add more if it's low.

Duct Work: Duct leaks in the attic are among the most expensive energy defects. If your heating or cooling system includes ducts in the attic, inspect them carefully. If you find disconnected ducts or loose joints, seal them up with metal duct tape or with duct mastic. Avoid common gray fabric duct tape since it tends to come loose.

Mechanical Ventilation: Your bath and kitchen fans carry moisture out of your home so it can't accumulate and cause damage. But these fans shouldn't just deposit this moisture into your attic. Locate your bath and kitchen fans from inside your home, then find where they penetrate the ceiling up in the attic. Confirm that your fans are attached to ducts that carry the moist air all the way outdoors. If needed, add flexible ductwork that connects these fans to a nearby attic vent. Your attic insulation will be drier as a result, helping it can perform as well as the day it was installed.

Chris Dorsi is co-author of Residential Energy - Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings.

How Cool Roof Coatings Save Money on Mobile Homes

By Chris Dorsi

	Saturn Research Management

Mobile homes tend to overheat in summer because they don't have a large attic space to provide a buffer between the hot outdoors and the living space inside. In many manufactured homes, the space between the interior ceiling surface and the exterior metal roof is less than a foot. Though a thin layer of insulation is installed in this cavity, the heat of summer tends to transmit right down into your home.

One of the best ways to slow this heat flow into your home is to install a white elastomeric "cool roof" coating. Metal mobile home roofs are easy to re-coat. In fact many homeowners do so every few years to assure their roof's longevity and water tightness. You can apply a cool roof coating when your mobile home next needs to be re-coated, or you could do it right away to reap immediate benefits. Many homeowners note that their home is cooler the same day that a cool roof coating is applied.

Cool roof coatings can be applied by brush or roller, just like traditional black or silver asphalt coatings. Their performance is superior to these coatings, however, since their reflectivity (ability to reflect the sun's heat), and their emissivity (ability to release the roof's heat) is far greater. To assure that your cool roof coating adheres properly, the roof surface should first be washed, and any loose previous coatings scraped away. Since cool roof coatings are water-based, they should be applied when no rain is expected for at least one day. Above all else, follow the manufacturer's instructions. Once you have a cool roof coating on your mobile home, and you appreciate the difference in summertime comfort, you'll never go back to the old-fashioned coatings.

Chris Dorsi is co-author of Residential Energy - Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings.

SEAL YOUR ATTIC BEFORE ADDING INSULATION

Your attic may be the main area where heat escapes your home in winter, especially if you have less than 8 inches of insulation. If you choose to add attic insulation, be sure to seal air leaks, too, between your home and attic.

Heat will travel through your attic by two different means. The first way is by simple heat transmission. Whenever the attic is colder than the house, heat will flow from the house to the attic through the drywall, plaster, or paneling that covers the ceiling. Heat will flow through wood framing members, too.

Then there is air leakage. Air can leak around your chimney, plumbing pipes, wires and other penetrations in your ceiling. Air leakage can account for a large portion of your winter heating bill.

Insulation reduces heat transmission and air sealing reduces air leakage. These two tasks should be done at the same time. Most insulation slows heat transmission but doesn't do much for sealing air leaks because it is a loose material and air passes right through it. If you insulate without air sealing, you may never be able to seal the air leaks once you cover them with the insulation.

Before you insulate your attic, locate each and every penetration in the ceiling of your home. You'll do this from within the attic. You may find a main plumbing vent and one or two smaller plumbing vents that lead to the roof. If you have a gas furnace and water heater, you will have at least one and possibly two chimneys. You could have another chimney for a woodstove or fireplace. The places where these vents and chimneys penetrate the ceiling are often the home's largest air leaks.

You can seal small holes in your ceiling with caulking. Liquid foam-in-a-can is useful for the larger holes and gaps you find. To seal around chimneys, use fireproof materials such as aluminum sheeting and high-temperature silicone caulk. Once your attic is sealed from your living space, then you can go ahead and add attic insulation.

John Krigger is a nationally recognized author of numerous energy efficiency books, including Surviving the Seasons, and Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings.