Every year, Coloradans read headlines regarding record-breaking temperatures. And, every year, more and more folks are searching for ways to make their home as energy efficient as possible. Part of that search, includes a cool roof. That is, a roof that helps to cool your home during the hot summer months.

With the climate warming, we decided to research and collect data showing, of the roofing materials available to us Coloradans, which ones are the coolest.

The coolest roofing material is the one with a heat emittance and solar reflectivity closest to 1.0. Asphalt shingles are the most popular roof covering. Most manufacturers make cool, EnergyStar Rated shingles. These cool shingles offer the highest heat emittance, at .90. However, they offer the lowest solar reflectivity of .15 to .25. Unfortunately, these shingles aren’t available to us Coloradans without special delivery.

Concrete tiles also offer a high heat emittance. However, their solar reflectivity is on par with asphalt shingles, at only .22. Clay tiles offer better solar reflectivity at .43, although this isn’t nearly as good as sheet metal roofing. Sheet metal roofing, such as standing seam and corrugated/PBC does the best at cooling your home. These have a solar reflectivity of .67 and a heat emittance of .85, regardless of color. And, there are dozens of colors available.

Helping to cool your home isn’t the only thing to love about a sheet metal roof. Metal is also recyclable, unlike traditional asphalt shingles. A metal roof also lasts 2 to 3 times as long as traditional asphalt shingles. This is because it’s significantly more durable than asphalt shingles. As a result, a metal roof often costs less than most other roof coverings. Lastly, sheet metal roofing is much more resistant to hail, fire, and high-wind than most other roofs.

If you’re in the market for a new roof, consider metal. In addition to sheet metal roofing, we also offer stone-coated metal shingles. Although these aren’t are energy efficient, they do last substantially longer than asphalt shingles, yet have the appearance of traditional shingles, shake, or tile. Roof financing is available for those interested.

About Bob Behrends Roofing, LLC

We offer both residential and commercial roofing, and gutter installation and repair in Northern Colorado. We offer a 5-year workmanship guarantee, competitive pricing, ask for no money upfront, are a Preferred Contractor of Owens Corning, Tamko, and CertainTeed, are covered and insured, and have over 30 years experience.