Out and about.

I've been feeling pretty bad for our dogs lately, and began taking them out for LONG walks after a few weeks of short walks to protect their paws from the cold. Warmer weather means they can catch up on exercise (as can I!).
Walking about in my neighbourhood, which is populated with a lot of homes at least 50 years or so old, meaning many of them are obviously underinsulated.
What jumps out are bare roofs and often HUGE ice dams on peoples' roofs. Yes, another blog antry about roofs.

I tend to focus (harp?) on roofs because they are such a clear indicator of escaping heat, especially when we get a warm winter spell. When the temperature gets close to zero, the combined outdoor heat and the
heat lost through the ceiling tag-team to melt the snow in no time. This means that when I walk by a house, I can see which houses are losing money due to easily preventable heat loss.

Take a look at your house next time you are outside. Read through the previous posts with the roof label and see if it fits what you see. These problems are very easily and quickly dealt with, and often with very short payback periods. The average for houses I have been through has been an estimated three to five years! If an attic takes $1500 of insulation to save not only energy costs but roof repairs, once the payback period is over, you will have an extra $300 to $500 at your family's disposal every year.

Not too shabby!