From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: How Your Roof Can Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

An upgrade to a roof can make your home more energy efficient in several ways to reduce the costs of climate control. If you are not a construction expert, then understanding how replacing a roof makes a difference with energy costs is essential. Roofs have multiple layers to reflect sunlight, shed moisture and seal in climate controlled air.

One: Insulation Layers

The most obvious way that a well-built roof can make a home more energy efficient is because of modern insulation. Many older homes have roofs that are over 30 years old with poor quality insulating layers that have degraded with time. Today, manufacturers make durable insulation that is applied in layers above wooden structures and below shingles to prevent loss of expensive climate controlled air.

Two: Reflective Materials

While most homeowners are concerned about energy costs in the cold winter months, in many geographic zones the hot temperatures of summer are a problem. Fortunately, there are also reflective roofing materials that help to keep a home cooler in the summer to avoid high electric bills caused by air-conditioning. Homes located in areas with year-round warm weather can benefit from reflective roofing, but it is also helpful in temperate zones.

Three: Proper Ventilation

Many homeowners believe that a completely airtight roof is the best way to lower energy costs. However, the reality is that roofs and eaves require adequate ventilation in the proper locations to achieve proper climate control. Airflow inside a roof can prevent the buildup of ice dams, moisture and mold to help the materials last longer, providing long-term energy efficiency for a home.

Four: Roofing Shingles

Shingles are the uppermost layer on a roof that everyone can see. Most homeowners want to choose a particular color or texture of shingles to add an attractive element to their home, but this material is vital for increasing energy efficiency. Quality shingles can help with shedding moisture from rain and snow in addition to holding in the heat from a furnace in the winter and the cooled air from an air conditioner in the summer.

Hire Professional Roofing Contractors

With utility bills rising, many homeowners want to make improvements such as replacing roofing materials to lower the cost of air-conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. Anyone building a new home or replacing a roof on an older home must hire a knowledgeable roofing contractor like those from Century Roofing Ltd. to ensure the structure is energy efficient.