A Cool Roof Can Save You Money on Energy Costs
One of the main factors that affects your monthly utility bills is the cost of heating and cooling your home. While insulating your attic or basement can improve the efficiency of your HVAC system, there is another step you can take to keep your home cool during the summer months as well as reduce your overall energy consumption: a cool roof. A cool roof is an addition to your overall cooling system that can save you money on your air conditioning bills.
How does a steep roof work?
A cool roof is designed to reflect more sunlight off the surface of your roof than a traditional roof, making it more effective at keeping your home cool during hot weather. Just as wearing light-colored clothing in the sun can keep you cool, a cool roof can reflect infrared as well as visible wavelengths of light, preventing the roof from absorbing heat and warming up your home. There are a variety of materials that can reflect heat from a roof, sometimes lighter-colored materials, as well as materials that reflect infrared waves without making much difference to the appearance of your roof.
Pros of installing a steep roof
According to the U.S. Department of Energy , a cool roof can reduce the outside temperature of your roof on a hot day by about 50 degrees. Cool roofs can cool your home to a safer level even without air conditioning, and can also make your existing air conditioner work harder, reducing your energy bills. In some cases, lowering the outside temperature of a cool roof can extend the life of your roof by reducing wear and tear on roofing materials due to heat.
Disadvantages of installing a steep roof
If you live in a cold climate, a cool roof can increase your home’s heating costs. In climates where the so-called “winter heating penalty” exceeds the energy savings from your cool roof, you should avoid installing a cool roof.
If you have an existing roof in good condition, replacing it with a cool roof can be expensive.
Types of steep roofs
There are many materials that can be used to create a cool roof. The options available may depend on the pitch of your roof, the climate you live in, and aesthetic preferences.
For steep roofs (slope greater than 2:12):
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Ceramic coated bitumen shingles
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Light-colored wood shingles or shingles
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Composite tiles in light color or with IR reflective coating.
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Light or cool coated terracotta or clay tiles
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Light Color Cool Coated Concrete Tile
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Metal shingles or light- or cool-colored coated shingles
For roofs with a slight slope (slope less than 2:12):
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Single-layer membrane, light or cool-colored, coated
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A built-up roof with a roofing sheet that has a reflective mineral coating or an additional layer of reflective marble or gray cinder.
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Modified bitumen sheet membrane with mineral coating or optional reflective coating.
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Foam roof
For steep or sloping roofs
A standing seam metal roof can be used on both steep and low-slope roofs, and can be coated just like metal shingles or shingles, in a light color or IR (infrared) reflective to make it cooler.
Green roofs
Green roofs can also reduce the interior temperature of your home, and while they can be complex to install, a modular green roof system can save you some money on your project and provide many of the benefits of an integrated green roof.
When is it time to install a cool roof?
Once your current roof is due for replacement, a cool roof can be installed for the same cost as a traditional roof. Replacing a perfectly good traditional roof with a cool product will cost more than the wait, but if you have a metal roof or membrane roof, you can probably apply a cool coating to your existing roof, even if it’s not time for a full roof yet. replacement.