Simply put, insulation is the movement of heat through a material. Therefore, roof insulation is the controlled movement of heat into and out of a roof. Do you know that a roof controls at least thirty five percent of the heat movement In a home? JJ Quality Builders Roofing Company says that depending on the presence or absence of insulation material, a roof can be able to control the amount of heat that enters or moves out of a home.
According to physics, hot air is lighter than cold air. This buoyancy of hot air enables it to escape from a house, into the roof, and finally out of the house. This process can lead to a million and one problems; some which will reveal itself after a long time while the dire effects of others will be seen immediately. Since we are discussing physics, let us now talk a little about heat and how it moves.
Heat moves in three different ways: conduction, convection, or radiation. The conduction process occurs when two solid materials come in contact, and heat passes through them. The convection process, on the other hand, is the process where heat moves in liquid or gaseous form. Finally, the radiation process explains the movement of heat through light or radiation, for example, through sunlight.
Therefore, if you have plans of converting your attic into a living area in the future, then you should start thinking of insulating your roof. And before you begin an exaggerative thinking of how costly it will be to protect your roof, I will like to tell you that if you follow the proper instructions, you will be able to insulate your roof yourself.
It’s not that simple – sorry. Because of the different roof types that are in existence, roof insulation as a DIY project will be easier for only homeowners that have pitched roofs. On that note, the types of roofing insulation are divided according to the two significant classes of roofs: flat roofs and pitched roofs.
Pitched roofs: pitched roofs are the common types of roofs. They are high sloped roofs used in houses. Examples of these types of roofs include a gable roof, a hip roof, a saltbox roof, a mansard roof, a butterfly roof, etc. It is easy to insulate these kinds of roofs because there’s plenty of space in the loft. Two types of insulation can be carried out on a pitched roof. They include:
- Warm roof insulation: this type of insulation is done directly under the roof, just above the attic. This type of insulation keeps the attic warm and suitable for human inhabitation. It regulates both heat gain and loss from a house.
- Cold roof insulation: this type of insulation is done under the ceiling. When this type of insulation is carried out, the attic is left unprotected. This is the most common type of roof insulation because it is cheaper and easy to install (as a DIY activity). Unlike the warm roof insulation, this type of insulation regulates only heat loss. And there is a need for ventilation to prevent condensation in this type of roof insulation.
Flat roofs:Â flat roofs are those roofs whose slope is low and sometimes flat. Because of space, the insulation in this type of roof is not easy. Unlike the pitched roofs, the flat roofs have three methods of insulation. The warm roof insulation, the cold roof insulation, and the warm inverted deck roof insulation.
The warm inverted deck roof insulation is a peculiar form of insulation where the waterproofing layer in the insulation material is placed beneath and not above.
Importance of roof insulation.
- Saves money on energy bills: instead of paying for home heaters during cold weather and air conditioners to lessen the heat in hot weather, a properly installed roof insulation system can do that work perfectly well.
- Prevents the formation of ice dams: ice dams is a mass of ice that hangs from the edge of a roof during the winter. It occurs when there is no even distribution of heat on a roof. Precisely, ice dams occur when the peak of a roof is hotter than the roof edge. When ice falls on the peak of the roof, it melts; when it rolls down to the edge of the roof with a colder temperature, it solidifies and forms ice. The installation of roof insulation will evenly distribute the heat on a roof, and this will invariably reduce the chances of ice dams.
- Prevention of condensation in a roof: condensation occurs when damp air escapes a home, the loft, and settles on cold timber to form moisture. Although condensation doesn’t cause immediate damage to the roof, it causes long term damages like wood rot, etc.
In conclusion, the importance of roof insulation cannot be overemphasized. Insulate your roof to save money on energy bills, prevent ice dam formation, reduce roof expansion and contraction, and prevent condensation.