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Now that summer has come to an end, we start to remember what it feels like to turn on the heater and hope for warmer weather. The cooler days are here, and that means that the temperature within our homes is going to begin to fluctuate. If you’re noticing that your house is having a tough time maintaining warm air, the first place that you might think to go is your HVAC unit. Though this is often a significant factor in the warmth of a home, your roof is another component that you’re going to want to look at.

The roof of our home does so much more than keep us protected from mother Nature’s unpredictable weather. One of the more significant things that your roof does is, in fact, maintain the temperature of your home. If you’re pumping your home full of warm air, you need to make sure that it’s kept in the house for it to stay warm. This is where walls, insulation, windows and your roof come in.

In today’s blog post, we’re going to touch on a few of the ways that your roof could be affecting the temperature of your home. Let’s dive in!

The Color

As silly as it may sound, the color of your roof could be affecting the temperature of your home. Think about it: the color black attracts and maintains temperature more than other colors. This is true for cars, clothing, and roofs!

The color of your roof is going to affect just how much heat is absorbed and maintained in your attic. Studies have actually proven that the plywood under darker colored roofs is normally 10 to 15 degrees hotter than plywood that is under a lighter colored roof.

Dark roofs are a common thing to see because they absorb more heat, making them an ideal feature for houses that are in cooler areas. Even so, the color of your roof is only one point that is affecting the overall temperature of your home. Keep reading to see a few of the other features that could be affecting the temperature of your home.

Construction

When a roof is poorly constructed, you’ll often see cracks and openings that reveal a rushed job. Even the smallest of spaces in a roof can allow for cold air to enter your home, and even worse, these gaps will let the warm air that you’re paying for, out.

When a roof isn’t constructed in a manner that will maintain the warm air that you’re pumping into your home, you’ll see the cold air affect not only the temperature that you’re experiencing in your home but also your electric bills. These tiny cracks cause your HVAC unit to work twice as hard since the warm air is slowly escaping your home. For this reason, and countless others, we always suggest having your roof inspected and taking any necessary repairs seriously.

Material Used

We talked briefly about how the color of your roof could affect the temperature inside of your home, but it’s not the only thing that affects it. The materials that your roof is made from will also play a part in how your home maintains temperature. One of the best examples of this are roofs made from asphalt. Asphalt shingles are known for attracting heat, regardless of their color. Moreso, they’re known for retaining it. That being said, asphalt roofs will only reflect 30 percent of the light that they attract, meaning that you can almost always count on them offering a little more heat to the home.

On the other end of the spectrum, metal and tin roofs are known for being materials that are highly reflective. These materials will reflect 100 percent of the light shown at them, making them a material that doesn’t have any temperature retention to worry about. So, depending on what type of material your roof is made from, you could be seeing very different effects. You will want to take this into consideration when deciding what kind of material is going to best suit your home’s needs.

Contact PRN Roofing

Whether you’re in need of roof repairs, a brand new roof, or an inspection, the team at PRN Roofing can help. We’ve been fortunate enough to provide the Tuscaloosa area with our high-quality services and extensive knowledge for years. If you’re interested in learning more about how you could improve the efficiency of your roof, our team is happy to help.

Contact us today, and we will schedule a time to come and inspect your roof. We’ll be able to provide you with additional information on how you can move forward to best care for your home. Also, make sure to check out the rest of our blogs. We’re always talking about things that you can do to make the most of the roof over your head.