Become Energy Efficient
How To Make Your Home Energy Efficient
- Insulate your home: Proper insulation keeps your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. According to the US Department of Energy, almost half of a home’s utility bills are spent on heating and cooling. Insulation prevents the transfer of heat from one space to another.
To maintain comfort, the heat lost in the winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in the summer must be removed by your cooling system. Properly insulating your home will decrease this heat flow by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat.
- Check the ‘R’ value:
An R-value specifies your insulation’s resistance to heat flow – the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. Your recommended ‘R value’ will depend on your climate and type of heating and cooling system. - Select the right type of insulation:
| Sprayed foam and foamed-in-place |
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Applied using small spray containers or in larger quantities as a pressure sprayed (foamed-in-place) product. | Good for adding insulation to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions. |
| Blanket: batts and rolls |
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Fitted between studs, joists, and beams. | Do-it-yourself. Suited for standard stud and joist spacing that is relatively free from obstructions. Relatively inexpensive. |
| Loose-fill and blown-in |
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Blown into place using special equipment, sometimes poured in. | Good for adding insulation to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions |
“ GIVE GREEN COUNTRY A CALL TO ASSESS YOUR HOME’S INSULATION…. A PROPERLY INSULATED ATTIC SHOULD HAVE BETWEEN 12-24” OF INSULATION DEPENDING ON TYPE”
- Seal doors and windows: This is the easiest way to begin insulating your home. Many homes have doors and windows that don’t have a proper seal. By using weather stripping, you can stop the flow of air around these trouble areas. Also, all exterior windows and doors need to be caulked to ensure no moisture or air flow enters into building.
When applying weather stripping to doors:- Choose the appropriate door sweeps and thresholds for the bottom of the doors.
- Weather strip the entire door jamb.
- Apply one continuous strip along each side.
- Make sure the weather stripping meets tightly at the corners.
- Use a thickness that causes the weather stripping to press tightly between the door and the door jamb when the door closes without making it difficult to shut.
- Upgrade to Energy Efficient Windows : Vinyl windows can help to lower your utility bills. Double-pane vinyl windows produce an air-tight vacuum between the two panes, which serves as the ideal insulation, should you be running your air conditioner or heater. The indoor air flow remains inside your home while the outdoor air flow stays outside the house. This climate control that the vinyl window delivers, enables your home to maintain heat from the heater or coolness from the air conditioner, and the money saved will permit the windows to essentially pay for themselves, as a result of savings from reduced utility bills.
Vinyl windows come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Let Green Country retrofit your home with new energy efficient vinyl windows. Start reaping the cost benefits and enjoying new found comforts of an insulated home !!
- Attic Ventilation: The #1 detriment to a roof’s lifespan is not having any ventilation !
Why Attic Ventilation Is So Important during Summer Months
First and foremost, proper ventilation in your attic means big energy savings. During the summer months an improperly ventilated attic can reach temperatures of over 160 degrees, and all that heat radiates right down into your home. If you’ve got an air conditioner, it’s working overtime to compensate and costing you money. And if you don’t have an air conditioner, all that extra heat can make hot summer days almost unbearable. By installing proper ventilation you can drastically cut down the time you’ll need to run your AC, save money, and make your home more comfortable, all in one fell swoop.Why Proper Ventilation Is So Important: the Winter Version
In the winter, your attic ventilation serves an entirely different purpose. Poor ventilation can lead to moisture build-up in your attic, and in the winter months that can mean big trouble. As the temperature in your attic fluctuates with the weather outside, that moisture can actually condensate, freeze, and then “rain” down on your attic when it melts. The result is water damage, and even worse, mold and mildew buildup. Furthermore, a well-ventilated attic helps prevent ice and snow buildup on the outside of your roof as well, both of which can lead to host of other problems. Basically it doesn’t matter what the season is, a well-ventilated attic is a home improvement must.Tools of the Trade
Green Country Rooftops & Restoration specializes in attic ventilation and will be able to inform you which ventilation systems are best for your home! Attics come in all shapes and sizes, so what works for your neighbor roof may not be what is best for yours. Nonetheless, here is a quick list of the most popular ventilation systems being installed today.Ridge and Soffit Vents: This is as simple as it gets. Soffit vents are installed under the eaves of your home, and ridge vents are put in along the roofline. With proper passive ventilation both at the base and peak of your roof, you’ve created all that is necessary for fresh air to continually flow in, up, and out of your attic, which is the primary goal.
The biggest advantage to Ridge Vent is that they are essentially maintenance free. Compared to Power vents and wind turbines, you eliminate the worry of having a motor blow out or the turbine getting knocked out of alignment.The key to Ridge Vent is proper installation. The Contractor needs to manually cut the opening approximately 1.5” on each side of the Ridge Beam. Keep in mind that in order for Ridge Vents to function, there must be a source of air intake! The most common form of air intake vents are soffit vents and gable vents.
Gable Vents provide air intake and Ridge Vent serves as the exhaust. Proper air flow will decrease those attic temps and increase the life of your roof!Power ventilators: Power attic ventilators have a motor which is controlled by a thermostat. The thermostat can be set anywhere from 90 degrees to 120 degrees depending on your comfort level. Once the attic temperature reaches that temp, the motor will kick on and exhaust the hot air. While they may cost more to install than other types of ventilation, they remove the greatest volume of hot and/or humid air from your attic, which in turn can help save more on energy costs.
NOTE OF IMPORTANCE : Combining an attic power vent fan with a ridge vent is usually not recommended for the following reasons:- It could reverse the natural flow of hot air out the ridge vent.
- If air is drawn in through the ridge vent while it’s raining, it might pull rainwater in with it, which could lead to leaking or mold in the attic.
Box Vents: Also called Turtle Vents or Louvered Vents. The louvers help to direct exhausted air upward and prevent unwanted pests and insects. Box Vents are the most economical and basic form of attic ventilation.
- Aluminum and galvanized-steel construction
- Three-louver design provides excellent air flow
- Suitable for up to 12:12 roof pitch
Wind Turbines
Wind turbine ventilators are exactly as the name implies, they are a ventilator that is powered by the wind to create effective ventilation for different industries. This product works on wind assisted ventilation. Turbine ventilators are round metal vents with fins in them. Even just a little bit of wind can be just enough for the turbo ventilator to rotate. The faster the wind, the faster the turbine will rotate and exhaust the heat, smoke, fumes, humidity, etc.
Wind turbines can be used in combination with other vents. Since Wind Turbines mechanically exhaust hot air, they are suitable on homes where air intake vents are nonexistent. Turbines serve their purpose but can be prone to maintenance issues over the years.
Green Country Rooftops will assess your roof to determine the best and most functional ventilation system that suits your needs !
We strive to protect your investment. A properly vented attic will increase shingle lifespan and keep your energy costs down.
Cities We Service in Louisiana and Oklahoma: