The materials you select for your roof replacement can determine whether the roof will pay for itself with a combination of lower energy costs and increased home value. If you are interested in replacing your roof, the following information will help you choose the right materials and get the best value from your investment over time.

Benefits of a Cool Roof

There are several different ways to get a cool roof. If you are replacing your roof, you can choose light colored or white shingles, or shingles with a reflective paint coating that reflects heat and sunlight during warm weather months. You can even get the reflective coating painted onto your existing roof if you don’t need roof replacement but want to have the benefits of a cool roof.

Cool roof materials can keep a roof up to 60 degrees cooler than traditional materials, which will greatly decrease the need for air conditioning in hot weather. Some homeowners may be reluctant to have white-colored or reflective roofs because of how they look. However, newer roofing options are often gray or black, but made of materials that keep the roof cooler than traditional shingles.

What About Cool Roofs In Winter?

The Northeast region of the country has more cold days than hot ones, but cool roofing is still an advantage, experts say. This is because the heat absorption a black roof can offer is limited when the roof is covered by snow, or by the weakness and indirectness of the sun’s rays during the winter months. There are also many cloudy days in winter when the roof will not benefit from any heat absorption.

Proper Insulation Helps All Year Round

To help your home both hold heat in winter and repel it in summer, make sure that your attic and roof are well insulated. Spray foam or fiberboard are the best options for roof and attic insulation because they form an airtight barrier against the elements and can even help stop leaks if that should ever be a problem.

Is Solar Roofing an Option for Northern Homes?

For roofs angled toward the south, solar roofing can be a good option even in the Northeast, providing 30 to 60% of your home’s energy needs over the course of a year. Financing options allow you to offset monthly payments with your energy savings, which will go a long way toward helping the system pay for itself over its 25 year life span.

The average solar system saves homeowners about $20,000, but it does take several years to get to the break-even point, depending on the size and effectiveness of the system. In addition, you are making your carbon footprint smaller and benefiting the environment.

A living roof has grass or other plants growing on it to insulate the area

The Outlier: Green/Living Roofing

Not every house can have a living roof — the roof must be mostly flat in order to grow living plants on it, after all. The layer of growing plants and soil insulates the roof and keeps it cooler, reducing the load on your cooling system. Living roofs are labor-intensive, however, and more costly than other roofing systems.

Are you interested in replacing your roof? Call Moonworks at 1-800-975-6666 for your free estimate on your preferred roofing solution.