Metal roofs keep your house cooler during summer. This can dramatically improve your family's comfort and reduce your electric bills if you air-condition. During the winter, they have a negligible effect on the energy efficiency of your house.
Most metal roofs reflect away more of the sun's heat than do asphalt shingle roofs, particularly black shingles. That keeps the roofing materials coo...
Metal roofs keep your house cooler during summer. This can dramatically improve your family's comfort and reduce your electric bills if you air-condition. During the winter, they have a negligible effect on the energy efficiency of your house.
Most metal roofs reflect away more of the sun's heat than do asphalt shingle roofs, particularly black shingles. That keeps the roofing materials cooler so less heat is radiated down through the ceilings to the living area. Also, the underside of the metal surface has lower emissivity than shingles, so even less heat radiates down to the ceiling below.
The final energy advantage is that the metal is relatively thin and has a contour stamped into it to simulate other styles of shingles. That contour creates an air gap between most of the roofing and the roof sheathing below it. With a sloped roof, outdoor air naturally circulates up under the metal roof to keep it cooler.
Installing a metal roof can cost significantly more than standard or even decorative architectural fiberglass shingles. You can expect a metal roof to last at least 50 years, and some have lifetime warranties. You also may get a reduction in your homeowner's insurance premiums, because hot embers from a nearby fire will not ignite a metal roof.
There are many residential metal roofing materials from which to select. Aluminum is the most lightweight, and much of it is made from recycled beverage cans. That, along with the energy savings and reduced landfill waste from replacing shingles every 20 years, makes it Earth-friendly.
A durable, multilayer paint coating has this attractive simulated cedar shake roof made out of aluminum that looks like real wood.
Simulated cedar shake aluminum roofing is particularly attractive. Copper and stainless steel are also very attractive, but their cost is often outside the budgets of most homeowners.
Steel roofing is also becoming more popular on homes. Painted standing seam or tile steel roofing is very durable.
Instead of trying to simulate some type of standard roofing material, the bright colors and unique appearance are signatures of upscale homes. Powder coating with Kynar, in a multistep process, is durable and commonly used on both steel and aluminum.
