Roof Insulation Keeps Costs Down

If you’re like most people, you have memories of your parents making sure you were wearing a warm hat when you went out on a cold winter day. The reason for this was simple: humans lose most of their body heat through their heads. 

By keeping that area of the body covered, they can retain that heat and are less susceptible to the wiles of the weather. The same principle is true of your house. While keeping heat from escaping the walls and windows is important, the best way to keep the house warm is by packing in some quality roof insulation. 

Making sure you have adequate roof insulation will ensure that your furnace or central heat is not working overtime to replace heat being lost through the top of the house. This can mean hundreds of dollars in savings each year, depending on where you live and how judiciously you run the heating system. With oil prices expected to skyrocket in the coming months and years, it only makes sense to cut down on heating use as much as possible. 

Many people make the mistake of thinking that since they already have roof insulation, nothing more can be done in that area to cut costs. This is usually not the case. The padding in your attic may be old and worn out, thinning through and letting heat escape.

Your best bet is to let a qualified company come and inspect your padding to make sure this isn’t happening. They can tell you whether or not you need to replace what you have. You may be able to simply add on to your existing padding, providing an extra bit of protection from heat seepage.

With the help of competent installers, you can also determine what kind of roof insulation makes sense for your home. Different houses respond to different types of packing. One of the most popular types is fiberglass batts. This padding comes in long blankets and can be laid directly over the rafters.

It’s often preferred for homes that have sloped areas as it can be fit into tight corners. For flat roofs, fiberboard is one of the best forms of padding. These come in rigid layers that can be laid flat against the surface, covering every square inch of the surface and providing no way for the heat to escape. Many people choose to go with loose fill packing, which can be great for roof surfaces that have a lot of hard to reach areas. 

This winter, don’t make your central heating work itself into a frenzy fighting the good fight. With a proper amount of insulation, you can cut costs on your electric bill and keep your house as warm and toasty as its ever been.