Is Your Roof Energy-Efficient?

What Makes a Roof Energy-Efficient?

An energy-efficient roof can sound like a strange concept. After all, your roof doesn’t require an energy source to work, so how could it use energy efficiently. But your roof’s energy efficiency doesn’t measure how much or how little energy your roof does or doesn’t use, it measures how your roof helps affects the energy usage of other appliances within your home. Under the right conditions, your roof can help keep your home cooler in hot temperatures and warmer when the temperature drops, helping your heater and air conditioner do their jobs with less energy usage.

Why Does Energy Efficiency Matter?

When you need to crank up your heating or AC, you may hesitate to adjust the thermostat – after all, making your HVAC system work harder uses more energy, energy that you’ll be paying for when your utility bill comes in the mail. But an energy-efficient roof can help your heater and air conditioner work less to keep you comfortable, saving you in energy costs.

The Energy-Efficiency Checklist:

• Lighter Colored Roofing Shingles – Dark roofs absorb heat and reflect it inward, but lighter shingles can reflect heat to keep your family cool.
• Proper Attic Insulation – A lot of treated air that your HVAC system produces can escape through your attic, making your equipment work harder to compensate. Make sure your roof is keeping that air where it belongs!
• Use the Right Materials – Just like the color of your shingles, material type can matter more than you think. Clay and tile roofing don’t absorb nearly as much heat as asphalt shingles, making them a more energy-efficient choice. Additionally, you can ask your roofer about Energy-Star rated materials, certified to help your home stay green and use less energy.
• Keep Your Roof Ventilated – While insulation is important to prevent treated air from escaping, you also need proper ventilation to keep air moving through your home and provide stale air with a way out.

A Professional Roofer Can Help You Make Your Roof Greener

If you have questions and concerns about your roof’s energy-efficiency, you can always trust your local licensed roofer to help you understand the state of your current roof, and what options you have to improve energy-efficiency. Whether a roof replacement can provide you with a more heat-reflective roof or some simple insulation can help you stay warm in the winter, our roofers will be happy to help you with anything you need to keep your energy bills low.

Call Lyons Roofing at (520) 447-2522 today to get started building a more energy-efficient home, from the roof down!