The effects of rising energy costs are affecting more than howAmericans spend their summer vacation.

According to Marshall & Swift / Boeckh (MSB), the averagecost of roofing shingles spiked 17 percent since last quarter.

In certain regions the company is seeing additional increases ofas much as 9 percent since the end of July. As a result, MSB isissuing out-of-cycle building cost databases for its partial-lossclaims estimating systems.

“The rising cost to repair or replace damaged roofs isespecially significant as the hurricane season progresses. Insuredlosses from Hurricane Gustav are estimated to be in the billions ofdollars, and Ike is close on his heels,” says Jonathan Kost, seniorvice president of claims and commercial solutions at MSB. “Researchshows that 90 percent of all property claims from hurricanesinvolve roof damage.”

The unusually high increases are attributed mainly to the priceof oil, which affects transportation and manufacturing costs of theoil-based asphalt shingles.

Based on data collected from locations across United States, MSBreports an average material cost for 3-tab shingles of $49 persquare as of the end of July 2008, a 17 percent increase sinceMarch 2008 and a 20 percent increase since July 2007. Based onthese prices, the average national material cost to re-roof a 2200square-foot home is an estimated $1,479 at the close of July 2008,compared to $1,255 for March 2008 and $1,230 for July 20072.