We as homeowners tend to ignore our roofs until a crisis arises, such as a damaging storm or unfavorable findings in a home inspection. But did you know that your roof has amazing potential to help you conserve energy and reduce monthly utility bills? In this article, we’ll discuss six ways that your roof can increase your home’s energy-efficiency and how you can choose the right roofing materials that will provide lasting energy savings.
1.Ensuring Adequate Insulation
Attic insulation is the number one factor that affects your roof’s energy-efficiency overall. A poorly insulated roof will put a strain on your air conditioning system in the summer and your heating in the winter. A well-insulated roof, on the other hand, can drastically reduce your heating and cooling usage, not to mention your electricity bill and your home’s carbon emissions. A thick layer of insulation creates a barrier that decreases heat transfer between a steamy (or frigid) attic and the air in the rest of your house. The great part about adding more insulation to your attic is that you can make this energy-saving home improvement at any time!
Even if you do have attic insulation, it may not be enough. EnergyStar.gov suggests an easy way to gauge whether or not you need more insulation in your attic: Look across the span of your attic and take note of the floor joists. Is your insulation barely level with or even below your floor joists? If so, then your attic doesn’t have enough insulation. However, if you can’t see the floor joists because the insulation completely covers them, then you likely have plenty of insulation in your attic. Make sure that the insulation is distributed evenly in the middle of your attic as well as along the eaves.
2.Understanding Solar Reflection
Solar reflectance is the most important characteristic of roofing products for yielding the highest energy-efficiency during the warm summer months. Roofs that reflect solar heat away from your home instead of absorbing it can reduce the surface temperature by up to 30%!
Another option to help reduce solar heat gain is to install a radiant heat barrier, which is a silver, laminated film coating that’s applied underneath the roof deck (sheathing) and around the beams. A radiant heat barrier helps reflect heat away from your attic during hot weather and reflect heat into your home during cold weather.
NOTE: Bear in mind that the energy savings that can be achieved with reflective roofing are highly dependent on the design of your home, the type of insulation in your attic, where your home is located, and your local climate conditions.
3.Ensuring Your ENERGY STAR Rating
ENERGY STAR certified roof products are more effective at reflecting solar heat back into the atmosphere rather than absorbing and transferring the heat into your home. In fact, ENERGY STAR shingles can lower the surface temperature of your roof by up to 50°F! A cooler roof therefore lessens the need for air conditioning and can reduce peak cooling demand by 10-15%.
4.Ensuring Your ENERGY STAR Rating
A poorly ventilated roof traps hot air inside the attic, which can then pass through the insulation and gradually bake the rest of your house like an oven. This forces your cooling system to work harder and leads to a significant rise in monthly energy bills. Excessive heat in your attic can even warp roof decking and shorten the life of your shingles as well.
Good air circulation is vital to roof health. It’s important to install intake vents along the lowest points of the roof to draw in cooler, fresh air and position exhaust vents higher on the roof to allow rising hot air to escape. This enables a natural airflow circulation process to occur that prevents extreme heat from building up in your attic, which keeps your roof cooler and lightens the load on your air conditioning system.
5.Choosing The Right Roofing Material Color
The color of your roof should vary based on your local climate. Just like dark clothing absorbs heat on a sunny day, dark-colored shingles absorb solar energy and transfer that heat into your house. For this reason, dark shingles are best suited for homes located in cooler climates.
The opposite is true for homes in warmer areas. Light-colored shingles naturally deflect sunlight to reduce heat transfer to the attic and the rest of the house. Since shingles in solar-reflecting colors stay cooler, their asphalt base lasts longer as a result, extending the life of the shingles and your overall roof structure.
6.Choosing The Right Roofing Material Color
The most popular materials include:
- Asphalt Shingles
- Metal Roofing
- Wooden Shake
- Clay tile
- Slate tile
- Composite or Synthetic Tiles
Each of the above materials has different energy-efficiency properties. The type of material you choose for your roof depends primarily on your local climate and your home improvement budget. Choosing the right material can reduce your home’s energy needs by as much as 40%!
Since metal roofs reflect heat up away from buildings, they are considered as one of the most energy-efficient roofing materials on the market. A high-quality metal roof can save homeowners up to 40% in energy costs. Wooden Shake are often labeled not the best choice because they decay quickly and need to be replaced often.
