Roof Colors Can Affect Your East Tennessee Home’s Temperature

In this posting, we’ll talk more about the impact of colors on your roof. In one important respect, your roof is really no different than your clothing or the interior of your car.  Some colors reflect heat.  Others absorb it and create a much hotter environment.

That’s why your choice of roofing colors can make a big difference in your heating and cooling bills.  These days, East Tennessee homeowners are all looking to save every dollar possible – especially on recurring monthly costs like utilities.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the temperature in your attic in the height of the summer can vary by up to 50 degrees based on what material and colors you choose for your roof. In general, dark-colored roofing materials will absorb the heat and cause your attic and/or the top of your house to be warmer than a lighter colored material. Conversely, light-colored roofing materials have been the traditional choice for warm weather climates, such as East Tennessee.

Traditional asphalt shingles — the most popular roofing material — have relatively low reflective properties, whatever color shingles you use. This is because the asphalt granules diffuse the light in multiple directions. It’s estimated that only about 30 percent of the light hitting asphalt roofs is reflected away from the house on even the lightest colored roofs; the rest is absorbed, despite the color.

What Does This Mean?

This means that heat is transferred from your roof to the inside of your attic, helping to warm your home in the winter and causing your air conditioner to work harder during the summer months.

Unlike asphalt roofs, metal roofs have high reflective properties. Even metal roofs that are painted a dark color reflect the majority of the sun’s rays, keeping your attic a more even temperature, both in summer and winter.

One of the newest roofing products on the market is solar reflective shingles. This type of roofing product is designed so that a greater amount of the sun’s rays are reflected back into the atmosphere than happens with traditional asphalt shingles. These types of shingles are coated with specially-designed reflective granules to make them more energy-efficient.

Another newer roof product is rubber and polymer flat roof materials that form a watertight membrane across the flat roof and are available in light or darker colors. This material has high reflective properties and color choice can greatly affect the heat transfer to the top of your home.

NEED A SUMMER ROOF INSPECTION?  GO WITH GARRETT.  KNOXVILLE’S HAAG-CERTIFIED ROOFING EXPERTS.

Need a roof inspection? Contact the roofing experts at Garrett Construction and Roofing.  We are Haag-Certified roofing inspectors and will inspect your roof for FREE to determine whether it was installed properly. This inspection will also determine if the roofing product is failing prematurely due to manufacturing problems. This will allow you to rely on the product warranty for repair or replacement.  Go with Garrett.

 

Make an appointment today with Garrett!

GARRETT CONSTRUCTION AND ROOFING.  Contact Knoxville’s Construction and Roofing Professionals!