Your roofing system is your home’s first line of defense against the elements. As such, it plays a significant role in your home’s energy-efficiency. An updated and well-maintained roofing system can help lower home energy costs and decrease your home’s impact on the environment.
In honor of Earth Day, here are some ways you can increase your energy efficiency and lower your electric bill.
Replacing Old Shingles
If your roof has weathered a storm or is just plain old, the granules on your shingles have deteriorated. This impacts its ability to protect your home. You should be getting regular roof inspections to replace old, ineffective shingles with new ones and keep your roof in tip-top shape. Make sure you’re making repairs or replacing your roof with shingles that have a high SPF rating and/or are ENERGY STAR rated. These materials can lower the surface temperature of a roof by as much as 50 degrees and can reduce peak demand on air conditioners by up to 15 percent.
A higher SPF rating means that more of the sun’s rays are reflected away from your home, rather than absorbed. This reduces the amount of heat gained. Meaning, your air conditioner will not need to work as hard to maintain the desired temperature.
Check Your Insulation
While high SPF shingles help with the summer heat, for the other half of the year, you’ll want adequate insulation. Insulation is on the inside of your attic. When heat from your HVAC unit rises, it stays indoors instead of going up through the roof – which causes a lot of other problems. Efficient insulation will prevent your heating system from working overtime to compensate for heat loss.
In the summer, installing attic fans and rafters can also encourage air circulation in a way that will bring down temperatures beneath your roof.
Pick a Light Color
The color of your roof impacts much more than your curb appeal. “Cool” roofs, those lighter in color than the traditional black or dark shingles, save energy by reflecting light and heat away rather than absorbing them. Much like hot concrete in the summer, roofs can get 50-70 degrees hotter than the temperature outside. That heat is translated to your home below, making your AC work harder and longer, costing you more money and increasing your impact on the environment.
Here in Indiana, however, you might want your roof to absorb a little extra heat during the winter. Our advice would be to choose the roofing material first, then the color. Even darker ENERGY STAR-rated roofs will usually outperform a lighter roof not designed with efficiency in mind.
The good news is that with IKO’s Cambridge Cool Colors, you don’t have to pick between curb appeal and energy efficiency. They have a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of 20-plus, and they come in beautiful colors like Weatherwood, Harvard Slate, Dual Brown, and Graphite Black.
As IKO Shield Pro Plus Contractors, we would love to talk to you about making the switch to a more environmentally friendly, beautiful roofing system. Contact us today to get started with a free estimate.
Flat Roof Options
If you’re working with a flat roof, two options could benefit you:
- Reflective Roof Coating – a roof coating will help your current roof reflect heat and increase your energy efficiency at a fraction of the cost of a roof replacement. Cool roof coatings are available for almost every roof type. Still, they usually change the color and overall look of the roof, making it less appealing for residential homes.
- Green Roof – Having a garden on your roof might be unconventional, but it will make use of a previously wasted space, and it will help the environment more than any option on this list! Not only are you using less electricity, but you’re doing your part to help the planet stay green!
Your roofing system has a severe impact on the efficiency and climate control of your home. While roof maintenance isn’t the most exciting, preventing a problem is always easier than fixing it.
Don’t forget to schedule your Spring roof inspection to make sure your home can handle the incoming hailstorms.
While making repairs, make sure you’re talking to your trusted, local contractor about your energy-efficient options to keep your home green and your electric bill low! The energy-saving benefits of a quality, professionally installed roof are worth it!
