No doubt, when living in a north eastern climate like Ohio, Michigan and Indiana you’ll want a roof that does more than just provide cover your home and protect you from the outside elements. A quality roof system is what makes a house a home that has peace of mind, feel safe, secure and comfortable year round. When choosing between a metal roofing system or a traditional shingle you’ll want to select a roofing material that will both protect and insulate your home from the harsh summer heat. Ultimately, choosing a roof material and roofing system that is cooler is of great importance.

So...How cool is metal roof?

You probably didn't know that metal is actually the most energy efficient material available today! It's true - when metal is used as roofing material it will aid in the reduction of energy you use to cool your home by over forty percent.

Air conditioning units can cool off a house when temperatures are high, however a well-insulated home is required to maintain the overall coolness. Without good insulation, homeowners will expect a significant increase in they’re energy bills.

Metal roofs work to keep the hot air out so that your air conditioner doesn’t have to work overtime and will inturn make it overall cooler than with asphalt shingles. Imagine having a living space that is comfortable all year round while maintaining low utility bills month after month.

It can be difficult to understand the cooling properties of a metal roof. Typically, in a hot environment metal can be hot to touch. How exactly can it be cool? The quality of your metal roofing materials and the construction can very well determine whether a metal roof delivers the energy efficient properties you’re seeking. It’s important to purchase from a reputable vendor and hire a professional roofer to get the maximum benefits of a metal roof.

A metal roof balances the inside temperature of your home because metal is very reflective. Metal has a low thermal mass which allows metal roofing to reflect light and heat rather than absorb it into the home. What that means to you is that the majority of the sunlight that the metal roofing material is exposed to gets deflected away decreasing the heat transfer into your home and requiring more cooling to maintain lower temperatures. Hence, the outside temperature decrease of the metal roofing material will be much cooler as well to the touch. Stone coated metal roofs are available in a variety of designs and colors. Plus, added pigmentation can help emit as much as ninety percent of the heat that is absorbed from the sun.

Cool Roof Technology

Today, more and more homeowners are embracing metal roof technology. A cool stone coated metal roof has high solar reflectance and boasts low emittance. The metal roof surface finish plays a major role in its overall cooling abilities. Lighter colored metal roofs such as white and gray are better capable to cooling off a home. Stone coated metal roof systems with oven cured organic coatings uses cool pigment technology that allows for the highest solar emittance possible even with darker metal shades.

Are Asphalt Shingle Roofs The Best Choice For High Climate Environments?

Asphalt shingle roofs are the most widely installed roofing system. Asphalt shingles perform well in the winter since asphalt absorbs sunlight which heats up the home. However, this type of roofing material and roofing system is not ideal for warmer climates or those in high sunlight areas. Asphalt shingles fully absorb the sun’s heat, and transfer the heat into the home which will increase energy consumption during the summer months and create high utility bills.

Asphalt shingles reflect approximately thirty percent of the light cast on a home. Dark or light colored asphalt shingles doesn’t effect the amount of reflection. In addition, depending on the construction of the roof an asphalt shingle roof can heat up a home between fifty and sixty degrees when exposed to sunlight over an extended period of time. More importantly, the roof’s orientation to the sun and the time of year also determines the amount of radiant energy that your roof is exposed to over the day. Depending on the type of roofing shingle material, the color can have a small impact on just how hot the overall roof will get over the course of the day. In warmer climates like Virginia, a black shingle roof can get up to a hundred sixty degrees and maintain a high temperature of a hundred and forty degrees. White asphalt shingles are typically twenty to twenty-five degrees cooler.

It is a well known fact the summer heat has a negative impact on a asphalt shingle roof system. High temperatures prematurely age the roofing shingles. Whereas, the rooftop and attic temperatures will also increase and a shingle roof will be hot throughout the day and night due to the trapped heat. As a result, the trapped heat will lead to problems like softening of the coated filling inside the asphalt shingles and accelerate the weathering of a asphalt roofing shingle. This is a known fact why most all manufacturers warn against installing asphalt shingle roofs in warmer temperatures.

Efficient ventilation is key when deciding to install an asphalt shingle roof in an area. Lack of ventilation is essential to the success of any roof system because a roof system can lead to excessive heat and moisture build-up.

Importance of Attic and Roof Construction

Stone coated metal is the cooler choice over an asphalt shingle roofing system. Regardless of the type of roofing material you decide to have installed over your home, attic ventilation is the most important factor. Ventilation determines how well your home balances temperature and humidity. The attic and roof ventilation should seek to expel all solar heat from the attic which lessens the overall home’s cooling load. If the roof is well ventilated and the attic space has the right amount of insulation the heat the roof absorbs will not have a major effect on the temperature inside your home, which is why it is vital to have a good ventilation system with strong cooling properties.

Choosing a roofing material that is the best fit for your home should always be recognized as the primary goal when roof shopping. If you have your heart set on a certain roofing material but you’re afraid it may not be ideal for the environment you live, it is always important to know there are always roofing system alternatives at Great Lakes Home Remodeling.

The efficiency of the roof system's cooling properties is impacted by the color choice and associated technology. As an experienced roofer, Great Lakes Home Remodeling can mitigate the temperature differences by analyzing your home’s structure and coming up with the best roofing system solution. At Great Lakes Home Remodeling we have the experience and professional crews to construct the absolute best, high-quality roof that will contribute to the overall health of your home today and tomorrow!

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