As energy costs continue to increase with no relief in sight, now is the perfect time to learn how to make your home more energy efficient. Along with energy costs increasing, the standard cost of living is also on the rise, so understanding how to save around the house will be of great benefit. One of, if not THE biggest determining factors of energy savings in your home is your roof.
With some careful inspection and minor adjustments to your home, you’ll be able to increase energy efficiency, along with the life of your roof, and save money in the long term! Below we’ll discuss the factors that make a roof energy efficient and how you can go about implementing them.
Is Your Roof Heat Resistant?
Arizona’s roofing market is quite unique in the US considering the consistent number of sunny and HOT days throughout the year. If there’s one thing you notice about roofs in AZ, it’s that most of them use clay or concrete tiles, and with good reason. Both clay and concrete are excellent at withstanding the relentless sunshine and protecting your home from the heat that comes with it.
While clay tiles tend to get hot in the direct sunlight, they don’t transfer heat. This means the tiles will keep the heat out of your attic, ensuring the demand for A/C doesn’t increase too much in the summer. In addition, concrete tiles function very similarly and are also fire resistant.
But what if your home uses shingles and is not engineered to hold a tile or concrete roof? Owens Corning makes a line of shingles that are considered COOL Roofing Shingles that utilize solar-reflecting granules. These granules reduce the amount of heat that is transferred to your home’s attic.
Make Sure Your Roof is Well-Insulated
A quality of an energy efficient roof is that cannot be understated is making sure it’s well-insulated. Attic insulation has an enormous impact on your homes ability to retain cool air and prevent the heat from getting in during summer months. It also prevents the heat from escaping in the winter. Blown-in attic insulation is one of the top choices because it is affordable, easy to install and extremely effective.
Whether or not you’re experiencing higher than normal electric bills, it’s always worth inspecting your attic to ensure your insulation is in optimal condition. Insulation can last anywhere from 80-100 years under optimal conditions, but if moisture or critters are present, it can begin to degrade in as little as 15 years.
Ventilate Your Roof
Keeping a well-ventilated roof is important, especially in the sweltering Arizona summer. Good ventilation is necessary for energy efficiency. Otherwise, your attic will become too hot and the heat will be trapped in your ceiling. This will put your A/C into overdrive and make it difficult for your A/C to truly cool the house.
An attic with good ventilation does not typically suffer from overheating – rather, it may become somewhat warm, but it will never get hotter than the air temperature outside. When the sun’s rays hit your roof and heat the air, it rises and escapes through a vent located on your roof, while cooler air is drawn in through the intake vents at the lower level. This ensures that your attic stays at a comfortable temperature, and your home remains energy efficient in the long term.
As one of the best roofing companies in Phoenix, JBS can help make your home more energy-efficient! Contact us to schedule an appointment today!
