| By: Steven Briesemeister |
The temperature of your roof plays a very important part in a number of different environmental factors within your home. If your roof collects heat without reflecting any then your home will get incredibly hot during the summer months meaning you will have to pay more for energy bills to keep your air conditioning running or face long sweaty days with no reprise from the searing temperatures. 
This extra heat can also cause a build up of moisture inside your roof and eventually cause damage to the timber structure; this damage may manifest itself in the form of cracks, warped materials and leaks. Also in winter your home will get very cold and you will have to pay more for heating to keep your home at a reasonable temperature. There are essentially four main types of reflective roofing materials you may want to consider using for your roof.
Reflective roofing materials – metal roofs.
Aluminum, brushed stainless steel and other materials are used to create the metal roof. They are usually durable and hardy giving you an extended life on your roof and homeowners with metal roofs have reported savings of 20% on their annual energy bill. Don’t forget that cooling buildings accounts for an incredible 1/6th of all the energy that is used in the average home. The problem with metal roofs is that while they prevent the heat from being emitted in your home they actually trap it and so they do not actually reflect the heat as well as other types of reflective roofing material. If combined with a polymeric coating they become even more efficient and you could realize greater energy reduction within your home.
Reflective roofing materials – roofing tiles.
When considering roofing tiles as reflective roofing materials the most important factor to consider is the color of the tiles. Anyone who has been out on a summer day wearing a black t-shirt will know that dark colors do not reflect heat and anything they protect gets very hot very quickly. The same is also true when considering reflective roofing materials. Whether you choose ceramic or fabricated concrete you should select a light color that will do an effective job of reflecting the heat away from your home.
Reflective roofing materials - Roofing membranes.
Again, with roofing membranes it is important to opt for the right kind of color. Lighter is always better, and if you opt for the darker membranes that give your roof a similar appearance to that of one using slate shingles it will have very little reflective quality to it and you will need to pay through the nose for your air conditioning and you might also face damage to the roof itself.
Reflective roofing materials - White reflective coatings.
Possibly the easiest of all the reflective roofing materials because you can have it placed over virtually any type of roof. They are designed specifically to reflect the sun’s rays and the heat away from your building and do a very good job of it. They do, however, attract UV rays so it is important that you select a good quality coating that not only works as reflective roofing materials but also prevents the potentially damaging UV rays from getting through and onto the surface of your roof.
During building design and when your existing roof needs replacement are both excellent times to consider reflective roofing. For more information, please visit https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roof_prods.pr_roof_products for qualified roofing products.
Article source: https://www.roofer911.com
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