The simple answer is, yes they can. You must be wondering how gutters can help lower your energy bills. You are right to wonder. Gutters’ role in making your home more efficient is often overlooked. Gutters have a direct impact on various factors which in turn influence your heating and cooling costs. Your home’s structural integrity, the level of moisture in your home, and your home’s microclimate are among them. There is no need to worry if things are not clear right now. We will explain how gutters can help save energy in your homes. By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of the role gutters can play in making your home more energy-efficient.
Gutters Prevent Heat Loss by Maintaining Your Structural Integrity
When your gutters are not giving their optimal performance, your home’s structural integrity is compromised. When this happens, water starts seeping into your home’s structures i.e. walls and foundations. The most obvious results are cracks, soil erosion, and increased seepage. This moisture seepage is the prime suspect. When your foundation or walls are damp, heat transfers more easily than when they are dry. So, your home loses heat in winter and gains heat in summer – thereby increasing pressure on your heating and cooling systems.
By some estimates, unsealed foundation cracks are responsible for as much as 15% of total heat loss in your home. When everything adds up, these numbers can raise your bill significantly. What we have learned is, that by properly maintaining your gutters and making sure that they efficiently direct water away from your home, you can reduce your energy usage.
Gutters Prevent Ice Buildups and Prevent Heat Escape
If you are living in a cold area like Long Island, you must have witnessed ice dam formation. The reason is that when your gutters are clogged, they do not pass out water efficiently. As a result, water stays trapped in them. This trapped water seeps and damages your roof and insulation.
When warm air, coming from your attic, passes over the melting snow on your roof, it refreezes it. Eaves are the places where it mostly happens. This ice formation doesn’t allow water to pass through and it finds no better place to stay than to back up under your shingles. What you get as a result is, more leaks and insulation damage. So, the best way to prevent both scenarios is to stop ice buildups in your gutters. Heated gutters are one solution. For more, get the help of a professional gutter protection agency.
Gutters Protect Your Landscape
We are all aware that a healthy presence of nature around our houses brings positive effects on our microclimate. Environmental Protection Agency states that by strategically planning the landscape around your home, you can reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 50%. We say gutters can help you do it.
How? Well, if your gutters are healthy and do not let water divert its determined course, they prevent soil erosion and water logging and hence protect your landscape. By providing water as per their needs, trees and shrubs grow healthily around your home. Their shade in summer and windbreaking in winter helps lower your energy bills.
The Material of Your Gutter Matters
The material that is used in the construction of your gutters can also help in improving your home’s energy efficiency. If you select aluminum or copper gutters, you will witness increased ice melting because of their high thermal conductivity. You won’t believe but the color of your gutters can help too. Try choosing light-colored gutters. They will reflect most of the sunlight, reduce heat absorption, and will positively impact your cooling costs.
The bottom line is, that by going for durable, low-maintenance materials that are also favorable to your area’s climate, you can improve the lifespan of your gutters and lower your energy bills.
Attach Rainwater Harvesting System With Your Gutters
This is an extra feature, which can help a lot. You can integrate a rainwater harvesting system with your installed gutters to enhance your sustainability and energy efficiency. The collected water can be used for several purposes. Watering your plants and washing outdoors are the most obvious. If you could install a water treatment system, you can also use this water for all kinds of indoor purposes. The point is that by taking this step, you can reduce your reliance on municipal water and save significantly on water bills.
This article is not exhaustive but it does try to prove the point that gutters can help increase your home’s energy efficiency. By investing in a professional gutter installation and ensuring its periodic maintenance, you can enjoy your home’s protection from water damage along with a favorable impact on your energy requirements.
