Summers in Tampa, Florida, can be downright hot. You want to do everything possible to keep your home as cool as possible. Your home’s roof plays a significant factor in its cooling ability. For this reason, you want to pick a roofing material that contributes to keeping your home as comfortable as possible.
You have likely seen that metal roofs are gaining in popularity in the Tampa area, and you may be considering installing a metal roof during your next roof replacement. However, you may wonder if metal roofs make your home hotter or if they attract more light. The roofing professionals at Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar will help you separate myth from fact when discussing how a metal roof affects indoor air temperature.
Do Metal Roofs Make Houses in Tampa Hotter?
This is a fair question because if you leave a piece of metal out in the sun during the summer and then touch it, you are likely to get a nasty burn. However, the reality is that metal roofs do not make a house hotter than any other type of roofing material.
The low thermal mass of metal roofing materials means that they will reflect heat and light instead of absorbing it. Thermal mass is a material’s ability to store, absorb, and release heat. Thermal lag is how long it takes a material to release the stored heat.
A building material with a higher thermal mass, like asphalt shingles, has a longer thermal lag. This means an asphalt shingle will hold on to heat much longer than metal roofing material.
Compared to asphalt shingles, metal roofing material keeps a home cooler instead of making your home hotter during the summer. This increases your home’s energy efficiency, thereby lowering the amount you spend on air conditioning.
As long as a metal roof is installed correctly, it should not make your house hotter. That being said, the amount of heat your roof retains will depend on the covering material used and how well the roof is constructed. For this reason, it is imperative to have your metal roof installed by experienced technicians, like those we have at Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar. We understand how metal roofing material works and can install metal roofing material properly the first time around.
How Does the Finish of a Metal Roof Impact Its Heat Absorption?
A metal roof that has direct sun exposure will heat up on the surface. However, whether or not the metal retains the heat depends a lot on the finish of the material.
Several coatings are available for metal roofing materials that are uniquely designed to reflect sunlight. This keeps your roof cooler even if it is exposed directly to sunlight. Energy Star-rated roofing materials are coated with a reflective technology that can reflect up to 70% of the solar energy they are exposed to. This keeps your home cool and improves overall energy efficiency.
How Does the Color Choice Impact the Heat Retention of Metal Roofing Materials?
One of the most significant decisions you must make when choosing a roofing material for your home is the material’s color. Not only does the roofing material’s color impact your home’s aesthetics, but it also affects the temperature inside your home.
Some colors naturally reflect heat, and others naturally absorb heat. For example, black or dark-colored metal roofing material will absorb heat and cause the top of your home or attic to be warmer than lighter-colored materials would do. For this reason, light-colored metal roofing material is generally preferred in warmer areas like Tampa.
How Does Sun Exposure Impact Metal Roofing Material’s Heat Retention?
Metal roofing material quickly absorbs heat when directly exposed to the sun. But this is true of asphalt, stone, cedar, and many other roofing materials. A dark-colored roof, be it ceramic or slate, will absorb heat from direct sun impact at the same rate as metal.
The difference is that once the sun stops striking the roof directly, lighter materials with lower thermal mass will release the heat the fastest. The most lightweight roofing material is metal, which will cool the quickest.
Concrete, slate, and other heavy materials will retain heat much longer, meaning they will transfer more heat into your home even after the sun has stopped shining.
The color of the roof and the roofing material contribute to heat being conducted into your home. However, one of the most significant factors impacting how much the outdoor temperature affects indoor temperature is the construction of the space between the roof and the occupied space below it.
If the room directly underneath the roof is in the attic, then controlling the temperature of the attic using a cool material like metal is essential. However, it is even more important to keep the attic ventilated. You want the attic to be within a few degrees of the ambient air temperature.
If your attic is adequately ventilated, this gives the ceiling the best opportunity to prevent the room from collecting heat. Another important consideration is ceiling insulation. The better the ceiling is insulated and the higher quality insulation you use, the less heat from the attic will be conducted into your home.
At Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar, our technicians will be happy to help you evaluate the current construction of your roof and its underlying structures. We can recommend roofing options to help you stay comfortable in your home.
Will the Light Reflect Off of My Metal Roof and Blind My Neighbors?
It is frustrating to be blinded by the light reflecting off a metal surface. Many homeowners choose not to install metal roofing because they worry that the roof will be a reflective surface that will blind passersby. But that’s not the truth.
To understand why this is a myth, you must consider how the sun’s energy is distributed. There are three basic categories. They are infrared, ultraviolet, and visible rays.
An unpainted metal roof will reflect more solar radiation than an asphalt roof. However, there are endless styles, colors, coatings, and finishes that you can choose for your metal roof to reduce glare. A coated metal roof will primarily reflect invisible UV rays.
Reflecting UV rays will minimize the heat the metal roofing material can absorb, but it won’t do anything to impact the vision of neighbors or passersby. The experienced technicians at Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar can show you how visually pleasing metal roofing materials can be. Far from being annoyed, your neighbors will likely be envious of how good metal roofing materials can look.
Getting the Best in Roofing and HVAC Services in Tampa, Florida
At Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar, we proudly offer our Tampa neighbors comfort and coverage under one roof. Company leadership is local and value-based. We provide clear communication, fair pricing, and skilled craftsmanship. This is why we are blessed with many repeat customers in Tampa.
We are a team of heating and cooling technicians and roofing experts who offer year-round HVAC and roofing installation, HVAC maintenance, roofing repair, and upgrades. We are proud to offer solar panel installation, repair, and maintenance. Contact us today and learn more about our fast, reliable, trustworthy service.
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