Growing up, we were always told to put on a cap in the winter – we lose most of the heat from our bodies from our heads – same thing with your home. Protecting the top of our homes during the winter is like putting on a warm cap.
Our homes act like a big chimney, the taller the home, the greater movement of air, which is called stack effect.
Windows are a very important part of our lives - they allow us to see what is going on in the world, they let in sunshine, and they light our houses so we don’t have to use electricity during the day. We need windows.
But they are a mixed blessing. They have very low insulation values so they cost us a lot more than a plain wall would cost to heat and cool. Also, this low R-value means the surface is cold so we can feel cool standing next to them, and they have a lot of moving parts, which means they can leak air.
Did you ever notice in the winter that some homes have a lot of icicles, while other similar homes do not? In some parts of the country this is a significant problem and results in reoccurring gutter replacement as well as water intrusion issues. Most people, if you ask them, will say the cause is that the gutters are clogged with debris. While that can be a contributing factor, the primary reason is heat loss from the home. This also contributes to high energy bills and lack of comfort in the home throughout the heating season. The following is a good description of how it occurs from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
