Regarding household energy
efficiency, roof plumbing is often at the bottom of everyone’s list. It’s easy
to forget your pipes and roof because you don’t see them, so it can be
difficult to keep an eye on the faults or damage. But just because you don’t
see problematic aging plumbing, it does not mean it is not there.
Unfortunately, by the time you find out
there is a problem, the damage has been done, and your bank account is hurting—
not just from the cost of repairs but from higher energy prices from leaks,
mold, and poor roofing insulation. Our suggestion is if you so much as catch a
whiff of a problem call in a
local roof plumber near you.
Hidden Energy Hogs: How Roof Plumbing Impacts Your Wallet
Understanding the Link
When your roof leaks and causes water
damage, mold will then grow in its wake. Poor air quality from a mold will
result in a higher cost to keep your house heated throughout cooler months
because the mold infects the air, so in order to filter that air from the mold,
your conditioning will have to work harder. Then there’s the fact that mold and
poor plumbing can mean your heating/cooling will essentially leak out of your
house.
Poor or damaged roof plumbing can also
result in roof infiltration, which causes moisture in your house. In order to
eradicate the moisture in your house (drying the affected space), your
conditioning will work harder, consuming more energy.
Specific Examples
If you are worried about roof plumbing
eating away at energy bills, then read these real honest to god examples.
Skyrocketing Heating Bills? Uncover the Surprising Culprit: Mold!
Todd's a typical example. What started off
as a small roof leak - turned into an out-of-control case of mold and has been
costing him dearly. His heating bill was unbelievably expensive because he was
doing a perfect job of growing mold!
Mold is bad when it is in your home because
mold weakens building materials. Also, mold is doubly bad when it comes to your
heating and cooling bill! When it gets in a heating and cooling system, more
mold grows in the system, doing ten times the work to keep that air
comfortable! What, ten times the work! Why? That doubles my heating bill!
Friend, you just added 20 percent! congrats!
Don't let mold take all your money! Look
for leaks! Fix them! Slowly, just like saving money—that's what we'd do!
Constant AC Usage from Blocked Gutters
A family that is living in a house may not
know that the air conditioning is running all night long. When you are living
in a hot climate hot and humid climate, the attic is always essentially too
hot. We are talking about the gutters. When the gutters are saturated with
debris (usually pesky leaves!) the rainwater cannot run through the drainage
path and thus sits. When there is still a lot of water to be drained(always),
water sits on the roof, heat seeps into the top of the ceiling, and naturally,
your air conditioning has to work more powerfully. Your attic is virtually hot.
A big furnace that is taking all of the energy from your conditioner. If you
have an air conditioner unit, it has to run all day but really only at a
quarter of the power effectively because the attic is taking all of the warm
air.
Practical Solutions
Those are two amazing ways in which roof
plumbing can eat away at your power. But how do you stop this, you may ask?
Well, here are three cheap and easy ways to improve your roof plumbing:
Timely Repair of Leaks and Damaged Components
Roof and gutter leaks, along with damaged
plumbing components, wreak havoc on hidden areas of the home. Having a local
roof plumber conduct regular roof and gutter inspections will make you aware of
any problem areas before more water damage and mold occur.
Proper Attic Ventilation
This limits the moisture in the roof space.
By limiting moisture in your roof, you don’t run the risk of it building up too
much and creating condensation in the colder months.
Installing Energy-Efficient Roof Materials
Get yourself some energy-saving roof
materials with insulation. If you are looking to install a new roof, you should
consider energy-saving roof materials with insulation. Insulation overall is a
great barrier to help control the temperature in your home more efficiently,
which means you will use less A/C or heating; therefore, you will use less
energy.
