What are the benefits of cool roofing?

You can increase your home’s cooling energy and lower your utility bills by switching to a cool roof. A cool roof is a roofing system that provides higher solar reflectance to reduce the amount of heat transfer from the sun to your home. A cool roof, which is designed differently than normal roofing products, has the ability to absorb the non-reflected solar energy to produce cool energy.

Maria McDonagh-Forde, the Director of Marketing Communications for CertainTeed Roofing says, “Homeowners today are looking for improved energy efficiency, and cool roofing is one major way to reduce their environmental impact and save money at the same time. In many cases, people assume they need to install white shingles to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and are quite pleased to find out they can have an asphalt shingle that can lower a roof’s temperature without sacrificing curb appeal. There are now a variety of options to choose from in terms of aesthetic look, sustainability, price and durability. A roof takes up more than 40 percent of a home’s exterior, so with all of that square footage it makes sense to choose a high performance shingle that looks good, is affordable, helps reduce their carbon footprint and reduces future utility bills. In addition, cool roofing shingles are low maintenance.”

CertainTeed Corporation offers a great lineup of solar reflective cool roof shingles that are ENERGY STAR® qualified products called Landmark Solaris. All shingles are engineered with a tough fiberglass scrim for better durability and have 50-year transferable warranties and offer a wide array of options in terms of performance, aesthetics and warranty protection — a huge win for homeowners and the environment.

Another great choice in cool roofing is solar panels that not only generate electricity but have solar reflectance that are integrated with asphalt shingles, such as CertainTeed’s solar roofing system Apollo II. McDonagh-Forde says that the system is easily installed, aesthetically pleasing, performs well in conjunction with the solar reflective shingles and provides a great financial return for the homeowner.

The demand for cool roofing shingles has skyrocketed because they can boost a home’s curb appeal while improving energy efficiency—for years, solar panels were considered unattractive, even if they did save money. “Local and regional building standards and incentives in various markets have also been updated to encourage environmentally responsible home design and renovation, which is driving more and more homeowners to make the switch,” says McDonagh-Forde.

For more visit, http://www.certainteed.com/products/roofing/more-info/Cool-Roof.aspx

All Photos Courtesy of CertainTeed.