Posted by Stephanie in Beat the summer heat and get a jump start on making your home cooler for the summer. A cool roof is great way to upgrade your roof, extend your roof’s life and stay nice and cool, even on hot summer days. It’s a big job but there’s a cool way to do it.
A “cool roof” is typically light in color and reflects and emits the sun’s energy so your home stays cool. Typical energy savings are about 20% and the payback is within a couple of years or possibly even sooner. Intrigued?
Cool roofs work, primarily, by using light-reflecting materials. The key to a cool roof is knowing when it makes sense to have one. Cool roofs are most effective if
- your home has high air conditioning use
- your home is not well insulated
- you live in a hot, sunny climate
- you’re building a new home or are planning roof maintenance
To help you decide if a cool roof is right for you, check out the great ENERGY STAR Roofing Comparison Calculator. Some of the benefits to having a cool roof include
- increased comfort, especially during hot summer months
- reduced air conditioning use, resulting in energy savings
- a longer roof life
- you may even qualify for a federal tax credit. See a tax professional for details.
The light-reflective material that is used on a cool roof is probably the most important element of the roof. When choosing reflective roof materials look for ENERGY STAR® qualified roof products and ask about the solar reflective value—the higher the solar reflective value the more efficient the product is in reflecting sunlight and heat away from your home.
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