7 Ways to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Roof
Energy efficiency is an essential part to your entire home — from your windows and doors to your in-wall insulation to your roof. But while many homeowners focus on insulating the walls of their home, they sometimes overlook the importance of the roof when it comes to energy efficiency.
“A roof over your head” protects your home and your family from the elements, including uncomfortable drafts and heat loss that could cause a spike in your heating and cooling bills. But how can you know how much energy you lose through your roof every year, and how can you improve that? In today’s blog, we’ll discuss several ways to boost the energy efficiency of your roof and, ultimately, your home.
Choose Your Roof Color Carefully
Energy efficiency can actually start with the color of your roof. Dark colors absorb more heat, which can make your attic quite stuffy in the midst of Houston summers. That stuffy feeling can move down towards the rest of the home, forcing your air conditioning to work harder in order to cool your home and causing your energy bills to spike. Cool colors, on the other hand, reflect heat. A roof with lighter colors is likely to be more energy-efficient than a darker colored roof. Fortunately, shingle roofs can come in various colors, including lighter, more energy-efficient color blends.
Insulate Your Attic
Your attic is the only floor of your home in which the exterior roof of the home is also its roof. That’s why your attic can be the hottest place in the house during the summer and the coldest during the winter. If your roof is letting too much heat in or out, this will stretch down to the rest of your home. You can remedy this by adding insulation to your attic. This insulation will help to support the roof’s protection of the home and boost your energy efficiency.
Ventilate the Roof
An opposite tip, but one that is just as important, is to add roof vents. If heat is building up in the attic, it can cause issues for the rest of your home — as well as your cooling and heating bills. When you add roof vents, that heat has a chance to escape the attic in a controlled way, thus helping to regulate the temperature in your home and lowering your heating and cooling bills over time. If your roof vents are surrounded by flashing, make sure that flashing is nailed down securely so as to prevent leaks. You can help by ventilating your attic, as well. A ceiling fan in the attic will help to circulate the air so that it doesn’t become too stuffy inside.
Add a Radiant Barrier
A radiant barrier is added to the roof decking of your home during a roof replacement beneath the surface of your roof. A radiant barrier is no excuse to use cheap roofing materials for the surface, but it can serve as an extra buffer, reflecting heat away from the roof before it reaches the house. In a hot, dry region like Houston, Texas, a radiant barrier can sometimes be a good investment when it comes to boosting the energy efficiency of your home.
Add Solar Panels
If you can afford it, you can also enjoy the energy efficiency benefits of one or two solar panels on your roof. Solar panels can be used in conjunction with your main energy source but provide supplemental solar energy to help power your home. This will allow you to rely less on coal and gas energy, making your home more eco-friendly and reducing your carbon footprint. In addition to an already energy-efficient roof, solar panels will help to reduce your energy bills considerably. They can be a steep investment, but one that pays for itself in time.
Top Roofing Products
The energy efficiency of your roof often comes down to the quality of the roof’s manufacturing. A cheap manufacturing product will begin to wear down early, causing leaks, drafts, and heat loss. Meanwhile, high-quality roofing products, such as those from GAF roofing products, are made to last and made to be energy efficient. And GAF’s roofs are eco-friendly in other ways, as well. They are designed with Advanced Protection® Shingle Technology, so that fewer natural resources are used in the production of these high-quality roofing shingles. It’s no surprise that these shingles have been given the Good Housekeeping Seal, and they can help protect your home from high energy usage, as well.
Proper Roofing Installation
Even with top roofing products, you’ll need the right installation in order to make your roof truly hold up in terms of energy efficiency. At Houston Roofing, we have such a trusted process that we’ve earned the distinction of GAF Master Elite roofer, something GAF only awards to 3% of roofers in the country. We are among the most trusted roofing companies to handle GAF products because we are meticulous about our installations and customer satisfaction. With the right energy-efficient roof and the right installation, your roof will remain energy efficient not just in the beginning but for years to come.
An energy-efficient roof begins with an expert roofer who can help you choose the right roof and install it. Houston Roofing has the experience and the reputation you need. Contact us today for more information or to get started with a free estimate.