Monday December 10, 2018

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As the weather gets colder, remember to get your house ready for the winter ahead. Your roof protects your home against harsh weather conditions, and ensuring your roof is in good condition will help keep your family comfortable and your energy costs low.

We asked bullfrogpowered Vicwest Building Products for their top tips to help you winterize your roof this year:

1. Do a visual inspection of the roof surface—ensure that there are no missing or damaged tiles or shingles, and make sure no flashing is warped or missing.
2. Check out the area surrounding your home. Ice build-up on trees can do a lot of damage to a roof, especially when you add in high winds. Be sure to remove any dead trees or branches that could fall on your home, before Old Man Winter makes this task more difficult.
3. Clean out gutters to be sure that melt water will flow right through.
4. Consider if you had icicles build up on your roof last year. You might have had what’s known as a roof ice dam, which is often caused by inadequate ceiling insulation or poor soffit and ridge ventilation. Consider getting your roof inspected by a licensed roofing contractor before the weather sets in.

If you do find yourself in need of a new roof, Vicwest advocates for metal roofing as a more environmentally-friendly option for your home. Metal roofing is much more energy-efficient in that it naturally reflects light, keeping your home cool in the summer and, when properly insulated, warm in the winter.

Although metal roofing is a pricier option, other roofing materials end up taking up significant landfill space at the end of their life. The energy expended in the manufacture, installation, upkeep, and renovation for metal is significantly less than other materials.

Vicwest is choosing Bullfrog Power’s green natural gas for 75 per cent of their total natural gas usage as part of a commitment to completely eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions for their operations by 2020.