6 TIPS TO GET THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT ROOF FOR YOUR HOME, ACCORDING TO THE INFLUENCERS

High tech roofs offer great SFP for your home. Here’s how they work.

Key Points:

• Understanding the science behind heat production can help you choose a more efficient roof for your home.

• Metal roofs keep homes cool and save homeowners money on utility bills by reflecting heat-producing sun rays.

• Experts and influencers share real-world examples (video) on how energy efficient roofs work, and offer tips on how to install an efficient new roof.

  
  

Not all roofs are created equal, and with a hotter-than-ever summers in many parts of the U.S. and Canada, understanding how a roof performs to keep you cool while maximizing energy savings is key to comfort and saving money.

It’s true that choosing the right materials, coatings and installation methods when replacing a roof makes a major difference to increase sustainability and comfort. It also adds up to real dollars and cents: homeowners can save substantially on annual energy costs by simply selecting the right type of roof and paying attention to proper installation practices.

How can a roof increase efficiency? It’s all about shielding against the sun’s energy which includes three different types of sunrays: UV, Visible and Infrared.  Infrared, non-visible rays make up the biggest majority, and they produce heat. UV rays are non-visible, cannot be felt, yet can cause wear and tear on building materials. Visible rays account for the rest.

How a metal roof works to keep your home cooler

While even basic, unpainted metal roofs will reflect more solar radiation than asphalt roofs, by choosing the proper colors and coatings, low-glare metal roofs reflect most non-visible, infrared and UV rays—the kind that produce heat and are the most damaging. And by emitting as much as 85 percent of solar heat gain to help keep homes cooler, even darker color metal roofs may help lower home temperatures during sizzling summer weather.

“There is a misconception out there that metal roofs may conduct more heat or cause a shiny glare when the sun hits them, but nothing could be further from the truth,” said Renee Ramey, MRA executive director. “A quality cool metal roof can reflect and re-emit heat caused by mostly non-visible rays, while also looking great and performing beautifully.”

Many cool metal roofs are ENERGY STAR-qualified based on total solar reflectance and thermal emittance properties, a term that describes how much of a material’s absorbed energy is released and emitted back into the atmosphere (versus causing indoor temperatures to rise). The Environmental Protection Agency estimates an ENERGY STAR labeled roof can lower roof temperatures by as much as 100 degrees F.

Influencer-endorsed: Metal roofs are the way to beat the heat

Build Productions YouTube star and building expert Matt Risinger also is a big metal roofing fan. Recently, he put different roofing materials to a real-world test to see how they perform in extreme heat conditions. As a builder from Texas, Risinger knows the need for homeowners to achieve better energy saving and stay comfortable in extreme heat and humid conditions better than most.

For his test, Risinger used infrared technology and temperature gauges to measure roof surface heat and to simulate interior “attic” heat transfer. He shows how quality metal with high-performance coatings can lower rooftop solar heat gain inside and out by as much as 30 degrees compared to asphalt. Check out Matt Risinger’s “The Hottest Roofs Might Surprise You” video test at https://youtu.be/JqznvfUlGUo

“Metal roofs can definitely save energy,” said Risinger. “But another reason why I really like them (metal roofs) is longevity and durability. That’s a big reason why I’ve been installing metal roofs since I started my company in 2005. It’s almost all I put on.”

6 expert tips for choosing an energy efficient, more sustainable roof

Re-roofing your home is an ideal time to up the ante on efficiency. Roofing experts offer six pieces of advice for getting a top performing roof for your home: 

1. Ask your installer what methods they plan to use to help ensure extreme temperature protection and performance. Certain types of underlayment and metal coatings can increase efficiency even more.

2. Pay attention to air flow and ventilation—both of which are essential in all seasons. Good eve and ridge ventilation systems help maintain consistent roof temperatures.

3. Check building codes in your area to make sure your insulation meets or exceeds standards.

4. Consider other potential threats; areas that experience extreme heat also are often prone to wildfire danger. Many quality metal roof systems carry a Class A fire rating—the best in the industry for fire resistance.

5. Ensure your installer uses quality materials from a reputable manufacturer and offers solid warranties. For metal roofs, check to see if they are members of industry-leading organizations that stand for quality, including the MRA.

6. Choose the most sustainable material possible to help increase energy efficiency while reducing waste. Metal roofs save energy, can last up to three times as long as other materials and are 100 percent recyclable at the end of their long life.