Yeah. I am thinking it has more to do with what's in the attic than what's on the roof. They should have R40 or close up there already, it's not that old. But who knows...

We don't have either of those roofs, kimdee, but insulating our (older) house made a HUGE difference in our heating bills and our perception of comfort.

I was just reading that cedar shakes can help keep the house warmer in winter to a degree. I'm not sure of how much warmer over asphalt, or to what degree it is their 'perception'... ie: "we got a new roof, now it's winter and it's cold in here..." and drawing parallels that aren't accurate. That house has always felt somewhat chilly, as it has vaulted ceilings through most of the main floor and two skylights in the kitchen. Might be worth a look in the attic to see what the insulation situation is up there currently.

We blew insulation into our walls and ceilings as well as our attic, as our house is older and had virtually no insulation anywhere.

Agree with hazeldazel.

I live in L.A. and all the ranch houses used to have wood shake roofs. Wood insulates and was more effective in the summer keeping out heat. Asphalt shingles are usually much darker and absorb more infrared radiation...they also lay flat against the roof sheating and conduct heat into the attic space more easily.

If your attic is well insulated and well ventilated it will minimize these issues.

L.A. banned wood shake roofs due to fires. The drawbacks to cedar shake roofs are they more expensive, less fire rated and more maintenance is needed vs. an asphalt shingle roof.

I personally don't like the aesthetics of a flat asphalt shingle roof compared to cedar shakes for my style of home. There is another alternative which is plastic or tile shakes that are made to look like wood but are more durable. One company to check out is Davinci Roofscapes.

Kimdee24, my father was in the roofing business for 20+ years and he hated cedar shakes - with a passion (the Irish get like that some times...sigh). In certain areas of N. America (heavily wooded areas, or areas that are very dry) a wood shake roof will increase fire risk to the home. There are many cedar shake roofs that never make it to the 25 years they are warrantied for because the climate they are installed in is not appropriate. West coast rain forest sounds like the perfect place for cedar - but the demossing every 3-4 years is not a cost a lot of people think of.

There are some amazing asphalt roofs out there that have the look of shakes. The vaulted ceilings are what will do the most to a space. Roofing around skylights is a tricky business - and sky lights are heat sinks with tremendous heat loss. The sheething under the roof and the insulation will all change the dynamics of heat loss.

The attic will tell the tale.

Thanks Cancork -- they have already replaced the cedar shakes with asphalt. They are quite dimensional, and are not the typical flat asphalt shingles, so the aesthetics is quite nice. I'm sure those skylights are the biggest problem. The vaulted ceiling doesn't help as heat rises. I guess I'll have to get someone up in that attic and have a look.

(Actually now that I think of it and, not that it matters, but they were pine, which they were using up here for a while, most of the houses in the neighbourhood had them, but are now being replaced with asphalt. In my parents case, it was because of hail damage from a storm last spring.)

Ahhhh the pine shakes - yes those were sold in Canada back in the 90's - early 2000 as a way to stimulate the forestry industry. My dad stayed well away from that debacle. He knew well enough that pine just couldn't act the way cedar does. All producers went bankrupt because they roofs needed replacing well before 25 years were up.

I'm glad to hear that your parents' house did well with them. When it comes to thermal insulation, wood will always beat asphalt but it shouldn't be the whole story. I'm wondering if the roofers were able to properly deal with the skylights. I wouldn't be suprised if somehow the mouldings/etc were disturbed around the skylights which now makes then draftier than they were before. It's worth a look.

Yes... they were lucky because if I recall there were lawsuits and whatnot for faulty pine shake roofs? Seems theirs was checked out and found to be not part of that problem thankfully. But the roof was probably close to it's lifespan anyhow regardless of the hail damage.

I'll get someone to take a look at those skylights. Though it's snowing here now, so... they might just have to put on sweaters until spring rolls around!

Believe it or not, snow on a roof is perfect time to find out where the heat is escaping! A well insulated roof will keep all of its snow. A poorly insulate roof will start showing "melted" patches very quickly. And areas around skylights can be quickly assessed (visually) just by having a look at the roof. If there are splotchy melted patches over the roof = uninsulated.

In Canada, I have a personal policy of waiting for snow fall before I view a home for sale. A quick look at the roof will tell me if my heating bill is going to need its own financing.

Good luck with the roof. Now is a great time to find out how well insulated it is - just look at the roof from a distance.

Yes, and a poorly insulated roof and attic can produce ice dams in winters with heavier snowfalls, which is one of the reasons we insulated.

If it's an older skylight, check that there's appropriate caulking and flashing. If it wasn't done properly with the roofers or if the caulking started to degrade, you're gonna have heat loss and probable water damage.

But definitely double-check the insulation, codes have changed over the years and they might not have enough.