Making your roof energy-efficient usually involves making adjustments to the temperature of the roof. A cool roof is more energy efficient than a hot roof because it lowers the amount of energy you are using to keep your home cool.
The benefits of energy-efficient roof
Energy-efficient or “cool” roofs benefit their occupants as well as the environment. Some of the benefits of cool roofs, according to energy.gov, include:
- Reducing energy bills by decreasing air conditioning needs
- Improving indoor comfort for spaces that are not air conditioned, such as garages or covered patios
- Decreasing roof temperature, which may extend roof service life.
- Reduce local air temperatures (sometimes referred to as the urban heat island effect)
- Lower peak electricity demand, which can help prevent power outages
- Reduce power plant emissions, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and mercury, by reducing cooling energy use in buildings.
In order to transform to more energy-efficient roof, consider making the following changes!
1. Change the materials entirely
For example, an aluminum roof is going to be more energy-efficient than a shingled one. How Stuff Works explains, “Asphalt shingles absorb a lot of heat, and that heat doesn’t stop at the roofline; it streams into the structure and increases the indoor temperature by 20 to 25 degrees [source: Florida Solar Energy Center]. Metal roofs, on the other hand, reflect the sun’s heat away from a building, leading to energy savings of about 50 percent, and they can be about 100 degrees cooler on the surface than traditional asphalt roofs [source: MRCA].”
2. Apply a cool roof coating
If you’re hesitant to totally replace your roof and simply want to make your current roof more energy-efficient, a cool roof coating is the way to go. Cool roof coating is very similar to paint, and acts as a “sunscreen” for your roof. UV rays will still, of course, beat down on your roof, but a cool roof coating shields your roof from those rays and acts as a barrier. Talk to a roofing specialist if you’re interested in giving your roof a cool coating.
3. Insulate your attic
Without insulation, your roof is acting merely as shade for your home. As the roof gets hotter, so does the attic and so does the rest of your home, which can cause your air conditioner to have to work twice as hard to keep your home a comfortable temperature. No wonder that energy bill is so high!
If you want to make your roof more energy-efficient, talk to a roofing professional. They will be able to guide you in a direction that will not only save you money but make your home more environmentally-conscious as well!
