Welcome to my Green page.
With all the focus on being “green”, I want to share some ways that we are looking to care for our planet and ways you can save energy.
Idea #1: Keep your roof in good working order. If your roof isn’t maintained each year checking for cracks, missing shingles or splits in the flashing, leaks can occur and that gets the insulation wet and it becomes ineffective in keeping the heat from escaping in the winter and cool air in the winter.
Idea #2: Make sure your attic is properly insulated. This winter we visited a lot of roofs that were suspected of having roof leaks. We diagnosed the problem as condensation forming in the attic and ice dams forming along the gutter edges, both causing moisture to enter the home. Added to this is the risk of mold forming if this keeps happening. These conditions occurred because too much heat was escaping into the attic space. To solve this problem:
- Make sure there is adequate insulation R-20 to 30.
- Make sure the insulation is not blocking air flow to the soffit vents which is where the roof meets the outside wall.
- Make sure the insulation is snug against penetrations through the ceiling like vent fans, plumbing stacks, chimney housing, and canned lighting.
- Make sure all bathroom, kitchen and dryer air is vented outside the attic through the proper hose and vent application.
- And finally make sure there is proper ventilation in the attic so there is air circulation. It is not good to have a warm attic in winter.
This pipe connects the inside fan to the outside vent on the roof.
Idea #3: At Showalter Roofing, we constantly looking for ways to save the environment. This year we put a program in place to recycle all types of metal taken from roofs that normally would end up in the landfill. Another way we help in the office is to recycle paper and cardboard products.
We have also changed the type of roofing we install on larger commercial building from an asphalt based product to one that is both energy efficient, and also cooler so that cooling costs are significantly reduced. We have a long way to go, but it’s a start.
