You want a safe home. You want a warm home. And of course, you want an energy-efficient home. Do you know what can help you achieve all of these goals? Your roof. That's right, if you call up a roofer and tell them about your desires, they can recommend some roofing repairs or materials to help you achieve those desires. They may recommend a metal roof, or they might recommend adding zinc strips to the roof peak. It all depends. One thing we can promise, though, is that learning more about roofing is a good idea. This blog is a good resource, but we recommend looking for other ones, too.
6 Additions That Can Make Your New Roof More Energy Efficient
Are you planning to replace your home's roof soon? Then you might be wondering how you can make your new roof more energy efficient. With the right additions, your new roof can save you money on energy expenditure and help you to combat climate change.
Modern roofing materials and approaches offer several ways that can help you to improve your home's energy efficiency.
1. A high reflectivity rating
Over the last 20 years, cool roofing materials that reflect sunlight have become more popular throughout the US. Metal roofs are especially good at reflecting solar rays and dissipating heat. But you can also choose from more energy-efficient asphalt shingles or composite roofing.
2. A lighter color
The lighter its color, the better a roof is at reflecting solar radiation. So choose light colors like white, light gray, or light tan.
3. A solar reflective coating
Sometimes, choosing a lighter color is out of the question. This might be because you prefer darker colors to lighter colors. Fortunately, you can still choose dark-colored roofing materials like asphalt shingles that have a reflective coating. This coating reflects sunlight and helps keep your home cool while extending its life span.
4. Additional insulation
If your home isn't insulated properly, during hot summers, you'll struggle to cool your home due to the amount of heat entering your home. You can improve your home's energy efficiency by adding additional insulation to your roof space. This will help to reduce your cooling bills during the summer.
5. One or more skylights
In a house that receives little natural light, you'll spend more money on interior lighting, which will add to your energy bills. By adding skylights in the dark areas of your home, you can cut down on using interior lights during the day. Skylights also improve roof ventilation, which can help to keep your home cool during hot summers.
6. A radiant barrier
You can install a radiation barrier under your roof to reflect some of the solar radiation. This highly reflective silver surface will help prolong the life of your roofing materials and help keep your home cool during the summer.
If you plan to replace your current roof soon, choose a roofing contractor that can help you choose an energy-efficient roof. Even just changing roofing materials and colors can have a significant impact on the overall energy efficiency of your home.
Contact a local roofer to learn more.