How Roofing Material Impacts Home Temperatures

If you’ve ever been up on the roof on a warm day, then you know it can get pretty hot up there. But did you also know that resulting heat can build up in your attic, which ultimately impacts and drives up the temperatures inside your home or business?

Popular Roofing Materials & Their Impact on Interior Temperature🔥

Depending on the material, a dark-colored roof can reach over 170°F on a hot, sunny day! Roof temperatures like these can make it feel pretty warm inside your building, too.

• Shingle Roof – Standard dark-colored shingles absorb LOTS of heat from the sun, and can result in temperatures surpassing 170°F! Numbers like these can heat your home or business up in a hurry! Looking for some “cooler” shingles? Shingles made with reflective granules like those found in Owens Corning’s Duration Premium COOL line help to reduce roof temperatures by 20-25°F, or more.
• Metal Roof –While standing on a metal roof can certainly feel hot, metal roofing’s high reflectivity actually helps prevent excess heat from entering your home. A Kynar-coated Galvalume roof will generally be at least 50°F cooler than a standard shingle roof. Metal roofs can also help keep interior temperatures more even in both summer and winter months.
• Wood Shake Roof –Wood shakes are manufactured from split logs, and one great thing about wood is that it is natural insulator. In other words, it doesn’t transfer as much heat as other materials. Each individual wood shake allows for air to circulate around it too, also helping to keep temperatures down. In some parts of the U.S., homeowners with wood shake roofs say they don’t even need air conditioning!
• Clay & Slate Roofs – Like wood, clay and slate are both natural insulators which don’t transfer a lot in the way of heat. Clay tile roofs are very popular in areas with hot, humid climates for this very reason. And not only do clay and slate offer a distinctive appearance, they’re both essentially fireproof, and offer durable resistance to sun, wind, and precipitation.
• TPO Roof – Light-colored TPO roofing is an affordable and durable solution for homes and businesses alike. In fact, TPO is a viable solution for flat roofs, low-slope roofs, and roofs with a steeper pitch. The flexible membrane is comprised of an ethylene-propylene rubber that is combined with polypropylene. Light-colored TPO has been shown to register temperatures that are consistently over 50°F cooler than those of standard, dark-colored shingle roofs.

Choose Skywalker Roofing for Your Coolest Roof in NC and VA

Choosing the best material for a cooler roof is important, but choosing the right contractor to install your roof properly is even more important! Skywalker Roofing provides the best workmanship and customer service in the NC Piedmont Triad, Triangle, Charlotte Metro, and Roanoke, VA areas, and we only work with the best roofing materials from top manufacturers. We’ve got you covered!