If you are sick of high monthly energy bills and are looking to make your home more environmentally friendly, there are several things you can do. From replacement windows to ventilation, there are a lot of standard ways to make your home more energy efficient. But homeowners often overlook one of the largest parts of their home when making efficiency upgrades. Your roofing in Downriver Michigan can greatly impact your home’s temperature and impact your heating and cooling costs. To improve your roof’s energy efficiency, there are certain things you can do.
Ways To Make Your Roof More Efficient And Save Money in Downriver Michigan
Most roofing today is designed to last between 15 and 25 years. While there are materials available that do last longer, most homes in the Downriver Michigan area have roofing that will only last that amount. Higher quality materials usually have a longer lifespan but they are more expensive which is why many home owners decide not to use them. However, you’ll want to consider the energy efficiency of the roofing as well as it’s lifespan. Better energy efficiency means savings over time that can certainly add up. Here are some ways to make your roofing more energy efficient.
Get Your Insulation Checked
Insulation is an absolutely crucial, yet often overlooked component of your home especially in the attic area of your home. It is installed to help create a barrier from the inside and outside of your home, making it harder for interior temperatures to be affected. Proper insulation is needed in your roof to help prevent cold from getting in and heat from getting out in the winter. In the summer, insulation helps keep the heat from coming in and making your home too warm.
If it has been a while since your insulation has been checked, it is worth getting a professional up to look. They will be able to help you get the proper amount of insulation, as well as making sure the quality of your insulation is appropriate.
Choose Light Colored Roofing Materials
Dark colors absorb heat more than light. This is true in clothing, as well as your roof. To help avoid heat absorption and reduce the temperature of your home from it, it is important to choose light colors for your roof. Whether shingles, tiles, metal sheeting, or anything else, the lighter the coloring, the smaller the amount of heat being absorbed. Many options today have neutral colors so you get better energy efficiency during hot and cold seasons.
Apply Reflective Coatings
If lighter colors aren’t an option, or you just want to decrease the amount of heat being absorbed further, you can also apply a reflective coating to your roof. You can buy shingles that already have this reflective quality, or pay to have the coating applied to non-reflective shingles later on.
Reflectivity on your roof allows solar rays to be turned away, rather than absorbed, and can also help to increase your roof’s lifespan. This is because the reflectivity also impacts UV rays. These rays can wear down and damage your roof’s covering over time and cost your in repairs and replacements.
Make Your Roof Green
Green roofs, also known as living roofs, are a great option for the environmentally conscious homeowner. This is because the roof incorporates living plants into the design. This means that the plants absorb the sun’s rays, rather than the roof itself, and creates a cooler roof and home. This option, however, can be expensive to keep up and will need to be well maintained. You will also need to guarantee that the roof of your home is strong enough to handle the additional weight of a living roof.
Always Fix Problems Quickly
The smallest crack can allow for air to flow freely between the interior and exterior of your home. Roofing problems can also quickly become much worse. This is why you should always call a professional and get repairs done as quickly as possible once you notice any damage. You should also do at least one thorough roof inspection a year.
If you’re concerned about the overall condition of your home’s roof be sure to call a licensed roofing contractor in Downriver Michigan such as All Point Construction. They offer roof inspection services that can help you identify any problem you may be having and they can also provide roof repair or installation as well.
