How to Make an Energy-Efficient House Roof
An inefficient roof can raise your utility bill in a couple of ways. Whether you are heating or cooling your house, heat will be transferred in during the summer and out during the winter from contact with the outdoor air. Additionally in summer, the roof can be heated directly from the sun's radiation and transfer heat to the living space, increasing the amount of energy needed for cooling. The main steps involved in making an energy-efficient roof thus include reflecting solar rays and insulating against heat transfer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shingle paint
- Paint brash
- Radiant barrier
- Staple gun
- Insulation material
Instructions
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Instructions
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Determine whether you need dark or light colored shingles. Light colored shingles reflect light waves and ultraviolet waves better than dark shingles. Therefore, light shingles are better for a house in a hot climate, while dark shingles are better for a house in a cold climate. If your house is in a "moderate" climate, you may not know whether you want to absorb or reflect solar radiation year-round. The best rule of thumb is to go with black shingles if you want to focus on lowering your heating bill, and white shingles if you want to reduce your cooling bill.
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Paint the shingles. You do not need to replace your roof to make it more energy efficient. If you are already replacing a roof or building a new one, choose shingles of a suitable color for your climate. If you simply need to make an existing roof more efficient, you can buy paint specifically for roofs.
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Add insulation below the roof. High quality insulation is beneficial for both hot and cold climates. It may impede the benefits of the sun's radiation for cold climates, but the effect of maintaining heat within the house outweighs this small drawback. Insulation may be added directly below the roof using batts or spray-foam insulation, or it may be added as "loose fill" on the attic floor. It is only necessary to use one of these two methods.
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Install a radiant barrier. A radiant barrier is flexible aluminum sheeting that can be stapled to the inside of the roof. The shiny surface faces downward and blocks the flow of infrared radiation emitted by the roof, keeping the house cooler. Field tests in the Southeast showed that radiant barriers decreased cooling costs anywhere from 5 to 25 percent. Radiant barriers are not necessary for roofs in cold climates, where you want to absorb solar heat.
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