Roof Color Heat

While roof color plays a role in heat absorption it s not the only factor.

Roof color heat.

While the best protection against heat loss and gain in your home is sufficient insulation the color of the shingles can affect attic temperatures by 40 degrees. Use light color metal roof with overhangs to shade the walls on the south and west sides. Black and dark colored roofs. Dark colors absorb heat and light colors reflect it.

For instance an attic under a black colored roof can be 30 degf. In very hot climates florida texas arizona however roof color definitely affects the cooling load of a house. How roof color reflects or absorbs heat. 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.

Roof color affects your home s internal temperature. Dark gray and black roofs best for homes that are gray yellow or blue. In general lighter colored roofs reflect away heat rays from the sun but dark colored roofs absorb much of that heat and transfer it into the rooms below. Dark shingles are better suited to cool climates because the extra heat facilitates melting of snow and ice.

A dark roof color can tap heat from the sun and transmit it into your home making it warmer. Therefore dark roof shingles are beneficial in colder climates where winters are particularly long and summers are brief. I can tell you that my experience is that any metal roof is cooler than asphalt shingles. Of course lighter colors reflect the light keeping things cooler while darker colors absorb the light and keep warmth in.

The best way to beat the heat is to not absorb it in the first place. However the type of material used can cause this to vary tremendously see below 2. Hotter than a white roof attic in florida according to the florida solar energy s phil fairey. After all darker colors absorb heat and lighter colors reflect it so the climate in your area matters when you are choosing what color shingles and type of roofing material that you plan to use.

Material and reflectiveness also make an impact on the amount of energy required to keep your home and your family cool in the summer months. Roof color choice also may affect shingle life in those climates. There are a variety of roofing materials to choose from and some are better at reducing energy costs than others. Before you learn anything else about roof color take away this fact.

While choosing a roof color might already sound more complicated than you first imagined the good news is that there are several general rules about the types of color combinations that work well together depending on the color of your home. There are few green building choices smarter than a cool roof in hot climates.