30 Aug Your North Carolina Roof:Heat Impacts Your Comfort & Energy Spend
As temperatures rise, our North Carolina climate has gone to extremes in the last few years.
Home heating and cooling have become crucial globally; solutions that work together to move towards an energy-efficient home are increasingly valuable. One change many homeowners should consider is switching out their existing roof for a metal roof.
Our metal roofs employ heat-reflective coatings that lower inside temps and reduce needed effort from heating and cooling systems. This effect is so drastic that it can reduce energy bills by up to 20%.
Solar Reflectance and Heat
Solar Reflectance and Solar Reflectance Index measurements consider the amount of solar heat reflected from a roof and offer a way to compare different colors, coatings, and styles to see what fits your home best. These values are critical to understanding your roof’s performance in the heat.
For reference, SRI places your roof on a spectrum between pure white and pure black. This scale sets white at 1 SRI and black at 0 SRI. While white reflects nearly all heat and sunlight, black absorbs almost all of both. No matter the color of your roof, it will fall somewhere between the two. Generally speaking, the lighter the roof’s color, the better it will reflect heat and the closer the SRI to 1. The darker the color, the more it will absorb heat and the closer the SRI to 0.
While color plays a part in this value, material and coatings also play a significant role. An asphalt roof soaks up heat, but a metal roof with the proper coating can reflect much of it. These coatings take advantage of evolving technology to provide durability.
Our metal roofs use the premier coating for metal roofing products, PVDF. Sometimes referred to as Kynar, PVDF offers superior durability and heat reflectivity to other coatings. Especially when dealing with high UV exposure, PVDF outperforms polyester coatings and retains its color for much longer.
If you’re so inclined, you can download the U.S.Green Building SRI calculator here.
As temperatures climb, the sun can damage your roof and increase your home’s cooling load. Investing in a McCarthy metal roof with a PVDF coating improves your home’s energy efficiency and will stay beautiful for years.
Please reach out to us with any questions you may have about using your roof to save energy without pressure or obligation. We’re here to help. Contact us today.