Are you fighting Icicles and Ice Dams this winter?

By John Haithcock, Adros Energy

You may have noticed long icicles hanging from your gutters and not realize the significance of the damage that may be occurring behind them. Icicles are usually one of the first warning signs of possible ice dams on your roof. This article will explain what ice dams are, how they form and the best methods for removing them safely.

An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof, usually at the gutters or soffit. When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas

Ice dams are usually caused when we have heavy snowfall and improper ventilation in the attic, warm air leaking into the attic area and improper insulation. The warm air finds holes in the thermal boundary between the living space and the attic. This warm air starts to melt the snow, even when the outside temperature is well below freezing. When the accumulated snow on your roof starts melting, it runs down your roof underneath the snow until it reaches a "colder" section like the soffits, valleys or rain gutters. The melted snow then begins to freeze again in the colder areas of your roof. This process of thawing and refreezing is what causes an ice dam. In the case of cathedral ceilings, the warm air stacks in the highest areas, gets transferred to the sheeting, and then starts the melting process.

Cleaning the gutters on your home can help prevent ice dams from occurring as quickly, but they can still occur if the conditions are right. The gutters will be as cold as it is outside, and in some cases, full of frozen debris. So even if you don't have a soffit for the water to refreeze in, the melted water will most likely refreeze when flowing into the gutters.

Properly removing an ice dam can be quite dangerous if you don't know how. In the past, some members of the media suggested hiring a contractor to pull the gutters off your home suggesting the ice dam process would be solved. This suggestion was well intended but wrong. Removing gutters can cause significant damage to roofing and gutter system. And if removed and you have melting snow or rainfall, the water is dropped next to the foundation of the home causing basement flooding and other problems.

Performing ice dam removal without a professional could cause severe personal injury and damage to the roof if not done properly. Never walk on a snow covered roof and make sure if you’re using a ladder you follow the proper safety procedures. I highly suggest contacting professionals with the proper equipment and roofing experience to carry out this job. If you have dams now, it’s best to rake the roof from the ground if possible or hire a professional to clear the roof. Do not attempt to break up the dam. It would be better to wait until spring and fix it the correct way. Of course if you have water entering the home, the dam will have to be removed.

The goal should be preventing ice dams! An energy audit is the best way to pinpoint the cause of the melting snow. Properly ventilating, air sealing the thermal boundary, and insulating the attic is usually the best way to prevent ice dams. The most important of these is air sealing, followed by proper levels of insulation and proper ventilation if possible.

John Haithcock is co-owner of Adros Energy and is a building analyst and building envelope specialist.

What is an Energy Audit and do I really need one.

What is an Energy Audit and do I really need one.
I have put some additional insulation in the attic and my home is only 6 years old. My windows are good and I weather stripped the doors.
I‟m spending about $3,000.00 a year for oil and my electric bill is about $150.00 a month. I‟m good to go right?

Not necessarily. If you want to learn how to save money and increase comfort, you need to get a professional Energy Audit. The Energy Audit should be done by a trained, experienced professional with a Building Performance Institute (BPI) or similar certification. This will help ensure you get a comprehensive audit done to the BPI standards. Check the ID of the person performing the Audit and make note of it.

A comprehensive Energy Audit will provide you with an Energy Game Plan, that will focus on conservation, building performance, ventilation, lighting, mechanical equipment, appliances, and renewable energy solutions.

A safety inspection of all combustion appliances must be completed. This includes carbon monoxide testing, draft measurement, spillage evaluation and worst case depressurization of the combustion appliance zone. If natural or propane gas is used it also includes checking for leaks.

Building airflow and leakage is the next check and is done with a blower door test. The home is put under negative pressure and each area of the home is checked for air leakage. By knowing the volume of the building we can compare it to ASHRAE standards to see if you have the proper ventilation. Too little can make you sick and too much is wasting energy.

The next area is to check all appliances and lighting for energy usage and year of manufacture. Any old appliances should be exchanged for Energy Star appliances. Most lights should have energy saving bulbs such as compact florescence and pin based lighting.

We then measure R-values of insulation in the walls and ceiling
and determine if any is missing or out of place. An inferred gun is helpful to determine missing insulation or leakage in areas of poor or no insulation, as in around windows and outlets.

A report is generated to identify the tests performed, the results and a ranked list of improvements to lower operating costs. Armed with all this information, the Energy Auditor develops an Energy Plan for your home and living habits. This plan is comprehensive and shows which actions should be taken and how to phase in improvements over time. This plan may take years to implement depending on condition of the building and budget.

By John Haithcock
Adros Energy Sr. Auditor
John is a Build Green NH Member

More information is available at http://www.adrosenergy.com/home-owners

Adros Energy and Flying Goose Brew Pub and Grille team up to take resteraunt Green!

Adros Energy is proud to work with the management and staff to help the brewery and grille lead NH in sustainable business practices.

FROM THE FLYING GOOSE NEWSLETTER:

It's time to be Green!

The modern era of sustainable practice is beginning to emerge as a prominent feature of business worldwide. Owners and members of the management team here at The Flying Goose Brew Pub have decided that is our time to take action! Our project began with an idea of implementing renewable energy to help become more environmentally friendly; however, along the way this project has become much more. Our first stage completed was a "weatherization" of our building that enabled us to become 30% more efficient which significantly reduced our fossil fuel dependence.

Our next focus has been on a customized geothermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) solution to generate heating, cooling, and electricity to alternatively power our establishment. A geothermal unit has the potential to power all the heating and cooling demands of our restaurant, along with the Solar Array powering up to 20% of our annual electricity usage. Along with plans of placing solar PV panels in the field behind the restaurant, we will also be placing solar thermal panels on the roof. Solar thermal energy is used to heat hot water, and is becoming a widely used renewable energy source in breweries and wineries worldwide because of its high efficiency.

We have learned through our research in developing an environmentally friendly restaurant that, not all sustainable practice must come from large investments like a solar array. Therefore, we have begun taking immediate, smaller steps to reduce our impact on the environment, on an equally important scale. Actions taken thus far include replacing our plastic "to go" containers to those made from recycled and biodegradable materials. From this point we would like to continue to take steps such as this, and eventually replace all our disposable products (straws, napkins, menus, etc.) with products that are eco-friendly. We are also planning to replace all of our cleaning products with green cleaners, this will give us more confidence that chemicals that we use in the restaurant are not helping pollute our environment.

We are moving forward with our initiative and encourage you to ask our staff if you have any questions, or would like to hear more. Stay tuned to hear more about our status in our green initiative!

New Website for Adros Energy

After much hard work, the company has transformed their website to show the many benefits of going green and conserving energy. Take a look at www.adrosenergy.com to see the re-designed site.

Energy Audits save money and the enviorment

The use of green energy goes hand in hand with energy efficiencies.
Home energy audits by certified professionals are the best way to get started on your energy independence plan.

The Building Performance Institute sets the standards for a thorough energy audit and defines how to evaluate all aspects of energy consumption Make your that the audit is performed by person with many years of construction experience and holds a BPI certification.

An audit should always start with saftey test to make sure the CO levels from combustion appliances are in tolerated levels.
Blower door testing creates a negative pressure in a home to exaggerate both air leakage point that let the cold air in as well as heat loss points that lets hot air escape. Infrared imaging cameras and other special instruments allow the auditor to perform many tests to determine how well your home performs. Evaluation of electrical use is performed to determine how power is being consumed.

The energy audit report shows all tests performed, the results of the tests and a ranked recommendation of energy improvements that should be made to reduce consumption from improved efficiencies. Most home owners can save over 30% of their current energy bills by following the recommendations made by the BPI certified energy auditor.

Once the building is operating efficiently, alternative energy systems like geothermal heating/cooling and solar or wind can be added to drop energy costs and usage even more!

Learn more at http://www.bpi.org/Web%20Download/BPI%20Standards/BPI-101%20Revised%20Home%20Energy%20Auditing%20Standard%20May%205%202010.pdf

Visit Adros at NH Building and Trade Show

Adros Energy http://www.buildingnh.com/conference
Building NH Conference and Trade Show
Tuesday at 8:30am
BOOTH 21, Grappone Center, Condord NH
October 14 at 12:10pm · Comment · LikeUnlike · Share · Invite guests

Adros Energy speaks at Home Energy Conferrence

Adros Energy founder, Phil Morano to speak about sustainable energy advances using home hybrid power, a combination of mutliple clean energy technologies.

Where PYLMOUTH STATE COLLEGE
WHEN: November 21, 2009 1PM
Details:

3rd Annual Home Energy Conference
November 21, 2009

Last December, the NH Sustainable Energy Association hosted our Second Annual Home Energy Conference – we brought together dozens of sustainable energy leaders from around the region, and hundreds of New Hampshire homeowners and contractors for an all-day conference featuring over a dozen workshops, two dozen exhibitors, and an amazing amount of human energy and ingenuity. This year we are excited to offer our Home Energy Conference again.

Mark your calendar for Saturday November 21 as NHSEA hosts its Third annual Home Energy Conference, to be held at Plymouth State University in Plymouth. NHSEA will present workshops providing in-depth information about geothermal, wood boilers, wind, pv, and solar thermal, as well as increasing energy efficiency in and around the home, up and coming public policy issues relating to renewable energy, working to promote community-wide energy solutions, and much more.