Long-term savings and the possibility of a lifetime roof are appreciable, but only if you plan on staying in a property for many years. Value and time: Cost-savings won't be apparent immediately.Poorly installed metal roofing is less efficient metal roofing. Installation is important: Moving forward with metal means hiring the right people for the job.Whether formed from the most popular steel and aluminum or the most expensive copper and stainless steel, metal roofs fit all housing and commercial architectural types.īut at what cost? Next we'll look at the green and 'how much green?' aspects. With fitted whole-panel to single shingle-like designs, metal roof systems have come a long way from the backyard coop. Of course, not many people would want a giant mirrored surface on the top of their lovely home, but most do want the energy savings or a break from the white noise hum of constant air conditioning, and that's more than achievable with today's metal roofing. Dark shingles, with a lower reflectivity of about 22 percent, tend to release the heat into the structure's surrounding air below and make it warmer. And while asphalt tiles don't have the power of a magnifying glass, they do intensify the heat from the sun by holding it long after the sun itself has called it a day.

A white or light-colored metal surface reflects best under testing, at about 67 percent reflectivity, and even some newly developed 'cool colors' send the rays away. Modern, energy-efficient metal roofing acts as a giant mirror of sorts by reflecting the heat and energy up into the air. So which roof is more energy efficient in warmer climates? By far, it's metal roofing, but how does it work? A metal roof doesn't take in all of the heat, it is very resistant to the elements when installed correctly, and it lasts much longer, needing little if any maintenance. A shingle roof also weakens and curls over time, making it less of a full-proof barrier for the effects of rain, wind and other environmental forces, and necessitating roof maintenance and earlier replacement. Metal roofs, on the other hand, reflect the sun's heat away from a building, leading to energy savings of about 50 percent, and they can be about 100 degrees cooler on the surface than traditional asphalt roofs. Asphalt shingles absorb a lot of heat, and that heat doesn't stop at the roofline it streams into the structure and increases the indoor temperature by 20 to 25 degrees. Shaped tiles resembling the rectangular asphalt type are also available.īoth metal and asphalt roofing get the job done when it comes to sheltering a building, but they really part ways when it comes to durability, energy efficiency and cost. Installation involves matching the seams of panels and snapping or locking them together. Steel, aluminum, copper and even stainless steel roofing systems are available. Today's metal roofing is available in various shapes, sizes and textures that resemble traditional roofing materials - from asphalt to slate to wood - and it also comes in large, pre-formed panels. When it comes to metal roofing, we're talking about more than just the corrugated tin roofs that might come to mind.

Nails and tacky backing secure pieces of shingling onto a roofing surface of plywood covered in roofing felt, or tar paper. These shingles are thin, flat rectangles that cover a roof in layers, with overlap areas to prevent any gaps. In the Southwestern United States and in Florida, as well as Spain, Mexico and Greece, terra cotta and white tile roofing cover much of the housing landscape, but in most parts of the West, shingle roofing made of asphalt and fiberglass is still most common. When it comes to which material can keep your home the coolest from the top down, though, one is definitely a hotter pick for keeping cool.Īsphalt shingles are the traditional choice for roofing in North America. Well what if they were talking about climbing up on a tar-shingled or hot-tin roof? It's still a close call. If someone dared you to walk across hot asphalt or hot metal - barefoot - you'd probably have a hard time deciding which would be worse.

White tin roof house