No matter where you live in South Carolina, you’re going to deal with the heat this summer. And, if you haven’t already taken steps to make your roof cool for summer, you need to do it now. Not only can a cool roof keep your house cooler in the heat, but it can also keep your energy bills down.
In order to keep your home cool and lower your energy bills, you want to increase two things about your roof. These two things are reflectiveness and emissivity. Reflectiveness is your roofs ability to reflect the bright sunlight rather than soak in the heat. This will make both the surface of your roof and the indoors of your home about seven to ten degrees cooler than a traditional roof. Emissivity is your roof’s ability to release any heat that has already been trapped. These two things are crucial to reducing the temperature of both the outside and inside of your home.
There are lots of ways to make your roof cooler without replacing your entire roof. Your roofing professionals at Lanier Roofing can come out and make a few suggestions. They can even offer some eco-friendly solutions for those of you that are going “green” this season.
Depending on what type of roof you have, some of these solutions may be the ideal fix for a cool summer. And most of them can be achieved without paying an arm and a leg. If you’re looking to keep cool this season, check out these tips for making your roof cool.
One way of making your roof cool this summer is going with a modified bitumen roof. This roofing is made of sheets of either rubber or plastic asphalt. These sheets are melded together with a reinforced fabric and is then fastened to your roof with a special adhesive. The factory applies a white coating so that the roof reflects the sun rather than soak it in. You can have it custom made so that its reflectiveness is as high as you want it to be. It costs about $1.50 to $2.00 per square foot to make this change.
If a modified bitumen roof is not your thing, you may want to consider using a single play membrane. These are vinyl sheets made of a material that has a reflective coating or material. It’s rolled right onto your roof and is attached with a chemical adhesive and then is fastened with a variety of mechanisms. The good news is, these sheets don’t require any additional coating. Some of the common types of sheets are:
The price of switching to a single ply membrane is about $1.50 – $3.00 per square feet as opposed to the price of a normal membrane, which is $1-$2 per square foot.
If you want to keep your traditional gravel and tar roof, you can still make some small modifications to summarize your home. You can replace the surface layer with white gravel and reflective marble chips. This will help increase your roof’s reflectiveness. You could also opt for a mineral surfaced cap sheet that incorporates reflective granules. Finally, you can apply a special coating or pigment that will increase your roof’s emissiveness.
Making just a few changes to your roof can mean a much lower temperature in your home this season. It can also put a few dollars back in your pocket. Just a few tweaks can make all the difference in the exterior and interior of your home.
If being eco-friendly is important to you, there are some perfect solutions available. Your roofer at Lanier can offer all sorts of options to make your home cool this summer.
If you’re looking to make your home cooler this summer, you should contact the roofing professionals at Lanier Roofing in South Carolina. They have all the tools and knowledge to make your home a cooler place this season.
Most new construction is now required to meet certain Green Certification Programs in order to pass building codes. Programs such as Energy Star offer base credentials on your roof’s ability to reflect the sun and release excess heat.
Call today and schedule your free estimate. One of the professionals at Lanier Roofing can come out and take a look at your roof. They can suggest small and inexpensive changes that can lower the external and internal temperatures of your home.
* Subject to approved credit through Foundation Finance Company LLC and business acceptance. Terms and conditions may vary. Contact business prior to applying to discuss available offers. Business will provide terms and disclosures upon credit approval.
