If you’re concerned about reducing energy bills this winter, take advantage of the cold weather and sign yourself up for a free infrared audit of your home, delivered by mother nature herself. As you see in this photo, the snow on this roof exhibits uneven melting patterns. Where the snow melts, there’s heat loss. Sometimes, this can make it fairly easy to identify large holes in your home’s thermal envelope. Common locations for such snow-melts are above bathroom vents, plumbing stacks, whole-house fans, can lights, and un-capped chaseways.
This second photo is one I’ve taken while standing in the attic, looking down at the top of a fireplace surround. There is absolutely ZERO insulation installed on the surfaces separating the interior of this home from the attic space.This is the thermal equivalent of having a single pane glass wall separating your house from the attic space. Needless to say, there will be LOTS of heat transfer through this surface… leading to a warm roof during the winter and speedy snow melting to prove it!
Another red-flag brought to you by mother nature are icicles. If you see icicles forming at the eves of your roof, it’s a clear sign that there is some major heat loss occurring. As this melting snow drips down to the edge of your roof, away from its heat source, it’ll re-freeze, turning into icicles.
If you’ve seen a roof that shows these signs, let the owner know it’s time to do some energy retrofitting and make their building more comfortable!