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Energy-Efficient Homes, Part 1: Roofing Options

With today’s rising energy costs, more homeowners are focusing their home improvement efforts on increasing their home’s energy efficiency. To help you increase energy savings, here is a two-part blog that details how to make your home more energy efficient, starting with the roofing.

Energy-Efficient Homes, Part 1: Roofing Options

Attic Insulation

Energy efficiency, as it relates to homes, pertains to the energy spent on heating and cooling systems. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that as much as 42% of an average American home’s monthly energy consumption is spent on heating alone.

The key to an energy efficient home is effective insulation, which keeps indoor temperatures stable, prevents heat transfer and minimizes heat loss during the cold season and heat gain during the hot season. This reduces the need for heating and air conditioning systems to compensate, so you enjoy energy savings.

In terms of roofing, insulation can either be applied right under the roof deck or on the attic floor. Attic insulation should keep heat from escaping from your indoor spaces during winter and prevent heat intrusion when it’s summer. Along with insulation, attic ventilation is important to prevent heat buildup that causes ice dams and icicles to form.

Cool Roof

Sunlight is another source of heat from which your home should be protected. Most roofing materials absorb heat. Combined with insufficient insulation, your indoor cooling requirements can increase unnecessarily. As with visible light, heat from the sun can be reflected with light colored roofs.

Certain roofing materials like EPDM and TPO (used on low slope and flat roofing) come in white; others like metal roofing can be coated white even if it’s already installed. If your your home’s color palette won’t work with a light-colored roof, there are also products like GAF’s Timberline® Cool Series that feature reflective coatings with a wider selection of colors.

In our next installment, we discuss the other parts of your home that can contribute to its energy efficiency. In the meantime, if you would like to know more about our services, including metal roofing installation, call Garlock-French Corporation today at (612) 722-7129. You may also fill out our contact form to schedule your in-home estimate. We serve St. Paul, Minneapolis and nearby Minnesota areas.