As one of the continental United States’ leading metal roof repair and metal roof restoration providers, we are often surprised by how many people hold misconceptions about metal roofing.
The most common among these is that metal roofing is energy inefficient. This is understandable: metal roofing is cold in the wintertime, and you could fry an egg on it during summer. It only stands to reason that cold and heat are seeping into the building during their respective seasons.
But the truth is counterintuitive. In fact, a metal roof significantly reduces both heating and cooling costs – provided that it is properly installed, of course. But how does a roofing material which can become so cold or hot manage this?
How Metal Roofs Reduce Cooling Costs
According to a study backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, metal roofing can reduce cooling costs by up to 25% compared to other roofing materials. It achieves this largely thanks to metal’s reflectivity. Although a metal roof does get very hot in the process, it excels at reflecting solar radiation away from a building under direct sunlight. Once a metal roof is treated with the ideal coating, it may reflect over 90% of the solar radiation it comes into contact with!
Metal roofing reduces cooling costs for another reason: It does not retain heat. In contrast to asphalt shingles, which trap heat and slowly radiate it for hours following sunset, a thin sheet of metal lacks the mass it would need to retain very much heat. In effect a metal roof becomes as cool as the night air surprisingly quickly.
How Metal Roofs Reduce Heating Costs
A metal roof’s ability to absorb heat without retaining it gives it another marked advantage over asphalt shingles during the colder months. Although a metal roof will not allow the winter sun’s radiation to significantly heat the interior of a building, it will absorb enough heat to melt accumulated snow. Furthermore, the heat a metal roof absorbs during the daytime prohibits cold air from penetrating through to the interior.
A properly installed metal roof offers even greater value during winter by preventing fluctuations in temperature between the attic and the air surrounding it. This lessens condensation buildup, which in turn preserves the efficacy of insulation – a benefit which helps to reduce energy costs all year round.
Other Advantages of Metal Roofs
Long-lasting. Depending on the type of metal roof you install, it may last between 40 and 70 years. Compare that to asphalt shingles, which last half as long at best.
Environmentally friendly. Reducing your energy costs will simultaneously reduce greenhouse emissions. What’s more, metal roofing is 100% recyclable. No need to clog up a landfill after several decades have passed!
Highly durable. No lightning strike or fire is capable of igniting a metal roof, and with proper installation it can endure winds as strong as 140 mph. Metal roofing also requires significantly less maintenance than alternative roofing materials.
Of course, you can never escape roof maintenance altogether, and flat roof repair is inevitable if your property is located in an area with frequently harsh weather. But for all these needs and more, you need no other metal roof specialist than NIJAC. We welcome you to contact us today whatever your roofing, silo restoration or grain elevator repair needs might be!