If you didn’t hear, our Executive Director, Sue McGregor-Hunter made an appearance on CBC Radio’s Ontario Morning, this morning talking about icicles. What in the world do icicles have to do with anything environmental related? You’d be surprised.

Right now as you walk around town you can see many homes, especially older structures, with huge amounts of icicles hanging off eavestroughing and, in some cases, causing a real hazard for anyone who walks below. A recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy comes to mind where Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) is impaled by a falling icicle. Not much fun, I would think.

So….I bet you didn’t know that icicles could be used as a way to determine if your home is experiencing heat loss! They can, and act as a barometer of sorts, warning you of impeding trouble that might come in the form of ice dams and water damage.

Here’s how it works. Attic spaces ideally should be the same temperature as the outside air. Plenty of insulation keeps the heat from escaping from the lower floors. A good indication of a well insulated home can be found by checking out the roof. Chances are if there’s snow, its means there isn’t any heat escaping through the roof to melt the snow on top.

Roofs where the snow has melted off, especially in locations that don’t get a lot of sun (such as easterly facing roofs) are a sure sign that heat is escaping through the roof. Another major indication that your home may be lacking insulation is icicles. Beautiful yes, but they should be seen as warning sign. As the snow disappears, the melt water runs down the roof and refreezes along the cooler edges. This excess ice can create dams along the eaves which can cause water to back up into your home along the roof line.

Fresh snowfall on a roof can act as a layer of insulation on the exterior causing even more heat to build up inside the attic, leading to more snow melting and more ice forming. It’s and endless cycle.

So what can you do? Insulate, insulate, insulate!…proper roof ventilation is also important. Keeping the interior of the attic the same temperature as the great out doors can lessen the threat of ice dams by reducing the amount of snow melt.

So what about the sun? Spring thaws? Absolutely, the sun and mild temps will always melt some snow and cause ice damming, but in today’s newer homes large build-ups shouldn’t be the norm.

If you see large quantities of icicles building up, it might be worth having an Energy Audit performed on your home. The audit can tell you how energy efficient your home is and recommend what changes can be made to solve your heat escape problems…..and with new money announced by the federal government these changes might not break the bank.

A large majority of the Energy Audit fee is also covered by both the provincial and federal governments. For further information give Cobi a shout at 705.745.3238 ext 202. Why let your heating money escape through the roof?!