Our Oakland roofing experts are often asked a lot about insulation “best practices.” This article will help you manage your project more cost effectively and systematically.

Poor insulation is one of the primary causes of energy waste. During summer and winter months, your heating and cooling costs may spike radically.

If you recall the laws of thermodynamics, heat tends to dissipate and spread out towards cooler areas. During the winter, your home’s air will be much hotter (in general) than the ambient outside air. Thus, heat energy will “want” to escape your house into the outdoors. Insulation effectively puts a roadblock in the way of that transaction, so less heat gets lost.

Over the summer, the opposite situation occurs. You want to keep your home cooler, but heat from outside will want to enter your home. Again, insulation provides a barrier.

So where should you install this thermal barricade?

Typically, attics are mission critical. When the sun beats down on your Bay Area roof, it creates complex thermal currents. During winter, snow and/or ice can accumulate on the roof, creating a powerful leach of heat, if you don’t have insulation to trap the thermal energy inside.

You also probably want to install insulation in walls, around duct work, and around anywhere else that thermal leaking might occur.

Best Roofing Insulation Materials and Heat Retention Strategies

The materials used in insulation range diversely, as do the strategies you can employ to install, maintain, and troubleshoot your project. While you plan your work, pay attention to ventilation as well as HVAC system elements.

Small errors in your insulation process can lead to outsized costs and dangers.

For instance, if you fail to insulate one small section of your attic or roof, a thermal draft can ensue, causing leaking, mildew growths, and costly-to-fix structural damage. Do-it-yourselfers also often make subtle mistakes with their techniques. If you use the wrong materials or install the materials improperly, you can create electrical and fire hazards.

For help with roof and attic insulation, connect with the East Bay roofing repair team at Ben’s Roofing. Call now to find solutions that work for your budget and timeframe.