Will Your Roof Be Cool?
If installing a new roof is in your plans for the near future, you probably have already begun exploring all of the many options that are on the market. You will have to decide on your materials, style, colors, and even your budget. But one of the things that you may not have considered is whether or not your finished roof will be cool once it is finished. Installing a cool roof will not necessarily cost you more upfront, but it could save you a lot over the lifetime of your roof. Knowing what you need to do to make your roof cool is the first step to saving you money.
What Is A Cool Roof?
A cool roof is one that has been created to reflect sunlight and absorb less heat into your home or the building below. The level of your roof's coolness is measured through two different properties. They are:
- Solar Reflectance - the amount of solar energy that is reflected by the roofing materials.
- Thermal Emittance - the ability of your roofing materials to radiate absorbed heat.
Both of these properties are rated on a scale from 0-1 by the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC), with 1 being the best or the most reflective.
While these types of roofs greatly benefit homes that are located in hot, sunny climates, most homes can benefit from a cool roof with a few exceptions. Those exceptions are homes that are located in areas that experience far more winter weather than they do summer weather, such as home's that are located in the northern climate zones. These homes will not benefit because although cool roofs will save you money on your home's cooling load, it can also slightly increase heating costs in the winter time. In most areas, these increases are greatly offset by the savings, but not in all areas. To examine how much you will potentially save annually, you can use a cool roof calculator.
How Will A Cool Roof Save You Money?
In addition to saving you money through reduced energy costs, a cool roof will also save you money on your air conditioning costs. Since you will not require as much usage, you may be able to invest in a smaller, less expensive unit than you would be able to if you were using traditional types of roofing materials.
If you already have a unit installed, cool roofing may help to extend the life of your air conditioning unit. Many times equipment that does not have to work as hard will last longer than equipment that is being run at maximum capacity each cooling season.
If you have spaces within your home that are not air conditioned, a cool roof may be able to increase the interior comfort of these spaces to the point you will not have to install a unit. This will save you the cost of the unit, as well as the additional energy consumption.
By providing a cooler roofing surface, your roofing materials should also last longer. This will extend the life of your roof, as well as reduce the amount of maintenance your roof should require during its lifetime.
Depending on where you live, you may also qualify for rebates on the purchase of your cool roofing materials. For example, in the state of California, there are a wide variety of rebates being offered through numerous different programs. If you live in other states you may want to check out some other resources. Although, a cool roof is not for every homeowner, you owe it to yourself to consider one for your next roofing project.
For more information, contact a professional roofing company like Empire Roofing.
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