Here s a rule of thumb to follow.
Low volume roof cooling.
A light colored or white roof of any material is also known as a cool roof for a reason it can significantly cool the roof s temperature by reflecting the sun s rays away from the house keeping the interior of the home cooler as well.
This reduces summer energy bills and helps deter the heat island effect in cities.
It makes the most sense for homes with low levels of insulation and for homes with ducts in the attic.
If you want to convert an existing roof into a cool roof you have three basic options.
Heat is now transferred out of the building through the roof.
Cool roof requirements are based on the roof s slope with more stringent requirements for low sloped roofs which rise less than 2 feet 0 6 meters in height for every 12 horizontal feet 3 7 meters than for steep sloped roofs which rise more than 2 feet 0 6 meters in height every 12 horizontal feet 3 7 meters source.
One criticism of cool roofs is that the benefits of cooling in summer can be outweighed by an increased demand for heating in.
Although costs will vary greatly depending on location and local circumstances cool roof coatings on a low slope roof might cost 0 75 1 50 per square foot while single ply cool roof membrane costs vary from 1 50 3 00 per square foot.
They can quickly remove a larger volume of hot and or humid air from your attic compared to static ventilation which helps save money on your heating and cooling costs.
Re cover the roof with a new waterproofing surface such as tile coating replace the roof with a cool one.
They are typically easier to install and won t detract from the appearance of your roof.
A rooftop sprinkler system is not just for fire protection.
Generally as the roof pitch increases the volume inside the attic also increases along with the amount of needed attic ventilation.
On a hot summer day it will even provide natural cooling no need for an air conditioning system.
Because it is designed to provide gentle water distribution over a large area it is a perfect means of keeping your landscape green and lush.
Retrofit the roof with specialized heat reflective material.
Tesla s design for low profile solar roof tiles photograph.
Because the incremental cost of cool roofing is low it s a relatively inexpensive and sensible product to specify in those climates.
The egv5 power gable mount vent can move air at a rate of up to 1450 cu.
7 12 to 10 12 roof pitches increase the amount of ventilation by 20 percent.
White roof aka cool roof pros.
An evaporative roof cooling system is designed to reduce the temperature of a roof from 165 f to about 90 f.
This effect creates an effect equivalent of r 7 roof insulation during the day.