Energy-efficient roofing isn’t just good for the environment. It will help you stay cooler during the summertime – a great advantage if you live in a balmier state, such as Arkansas. Better yet, an energy-efficient roof will save you serious money. It can lower the average single-family residence’s utility bills by as much as 25%, and may even qualify you for a significant tax rebate.
Whether you need residential roofing, commercial roofing, farm roofing, or even grain elevator roofing, an energy-efficient solution is readily available. Here are the types of roofs that are poised to keep you more comfortable and save you more money all year round!
Metal Roofing
Metal roofing is becoming increasingly popular among property owners in search of greater energy efficiency. Metal actively reflects any heat it comes into contact with, which does a great deal to reflect the sun’s rays before they can trigger the air conditioner. In addition to saving up to 40% in energy costs, metal roofing provides superior insulation in the winter. That makes a metal roof a great way to augment recently updated industrial insulation. And when it is coated with special heat-reflective paint, which additionally provides heightened resistance to dirt and other contaminants, metal roofing only becomes even more energy-efficient.
Asphalt Shingle Roofing
In addition to requiring very little roof maintenance, asphalt shingles are also popular because of their available energy-efficient features. Although a standard asphalt shingle absorbs heat fairly efficiently, newer lines of shingles excel at repelling sunlight before it can access the interior of a property. For example, Owens Corning’s COOL series asphalt shingles features high-tech granules that significantly reduce the need for air conditioning. Despite being available in traditional darker colors, COOL shingles still boast superior solar reflectance and thermal emittance.
Concrete Tile Roofing
Concrete excels at reflecting solar energy. That is partly due to its lighter color, which is naturally resilient to solar heating. It is also due to concrete’s high thermal mass, which enables it to absorb, store and gradually radiate heat (which is also beneficial during colder months when heat retention is desirable). Concrete tiles exhibit up to 86% greater thermal emittance than traditional asphalt shingle alternatives!
Clay Tile Roofing
Like concrete, clay is an especially environmentally friendly roofing material. You would be hard-pressed to find a conservationist who is worried about depleting the earth’s natural deposits of clay. Clay also possesses outstanding natural thermal resistance, and the airspace which lies between tiles provides even greater insulation for the underlying property. A correctly installed tile roof reduces the amount of heat that can reach the attic by almost 50%! But also like concrete tiles, clay tiles are exceptionally heavy. As such they aren’t suitable for certain houses unless their frames undergo expensive fortification.
Wood Shingles
Wood is an excellent insulator thanks to the unique nature of its cellular structure. It is filled with so many microscopic air pockets that it is approximately 40% oxygen. Wood is also hygroscopic, which means it is able to absorb moisture from the air which in turn promotes greater resistance to changes in temperature and humidity. Wood shingles’ ability to retain moisture also means they aren’t suitable for houses in especially rainy or humid climates, but they create highly attractive roofing wherever they are appropriate.
Thermoplastic Polyolefin Roofing
Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing is a single-ply membrane that is composed of three distinct layers: a TPO base, a polyester-reinforced fabric, and a second TPO exterior. TPO is intensely durable and can last up to two decades, inexpensive to maintain and repair, impervious to moisture, and completely recyclable. Better yet, TPO possesses outstanding reflectivity to ultraviolet light. It has the potential to keep a roof 50 °F cooler than if it had been covered in conventional asphalt shingles. TPO roofing is particularly well-suited for commercial properties, and currently accounts for approximately 40% of the commercial roofing market.
In addition to foundation waterproofing, grain silo coating, and grain elevator insulation and repair, the NIJAC team specializes in metal roof restoration and concrete silo roof restoration at commercial, industrial and agricultural properties throughout the continental United States. If you would like to learn more about how our products and installation techniques will help you conserve energy while reducing your heating and cooling costs, then we welcome you to contact us today!