How to Lower Your Electricity Bill With a Cool Roof
Written by: Admin | Date: Tuesday, 26th July 2011

Are you looking for a way to lower your electricity bill in the summertime? Once you've cleaned your air conditioner filters, installed ceiling fans, and programmed your thermostat, you may think you've exhausted all the options. But there's one more thing you can do.

As you know, dark colors absorb heat while light colors reflect it. If your roof is a dark color, you can be sure that it's sucking solar heat into your home. The solution? A cool roof.

A cool roof doesn't mean one that your teenager would approve of. Instead, the term refers to a roof that isn't a dark color. In general, there are two kinds of cool roofs: white and green.

White Roofs

A white roof, as you might have guessed, is simply a roof that's been painted white rather than a dark color. According to an energy-efficiency study by Columbia University, a white roof lowers summer heat gains by up to 67%. A good time to add a cool roof to your home is when you are doing a roof replacement or major roof repair is needed.

Green Roofs

No, it's not a roof painted green – it's a roof covered with vegetation. You may also hear the expression “living roof” or “eco-roof.” Compared to a traditional dark roof, a green roof lowers summer heat gains by up to 84% - an even more impressive result than the white roof.

Which Cool Roof is Right for Your Home?

Without a doubt, a white roof is easier to implement than a green roof. If you're fairly handy, you can even purchase the materials at a hardware store and paint your roof white yourself.

A green roof will require more research, initial effort, and maintenance. However, the savings will be greater in the long run. Plus, you'll also save money in the wintertime, since green roofs were shown to lower winter heat losses by nearly 40% in the Columbia University study.

Whether you choose a white roof or a green roof, you will save money on your electricity bill in the summertime. And if enough of your neighbors choose to implement cool roofs, your town or city could become more a more eco-friendly place to live.
Now that's cool.

 Contact a Roofing Expert Today.