Choosing Your Detroit Roof Color: Find Out Which Ones Can Save You Money
Apr 09, 2019Selecting the right color for the metal roof on your Michigan home is an important choice, as the correct color choice will be one that will last on your home for a long time. You might want to choose a color that fits with the overall aesthetic value of the individual house, your own tastes, and the neighborhood trends, to satisfy your own desires while also fitting with the other houses and raising market value. You also might want to choose the most resilient paint for the specific roof composition material.
The color choice for your Detroit metal roof is not just an aesthetic one. When choosing the color of the roof, you must also consider the properties of each color, particularly if you choose between light and dark colors. A house with a smaller roof or a shallow pitch will look taller if you choose a light color, or a dark color will reduce the overwhelming impact of a larger roof.
Beyond that, one of the most important factors in determining your roof color is how it reacts to short-term temperature as well as the climate at large. These features will greatly impact how the house will absorb heat, and as a result, will determine the temperature inside the home and how that affects your air conditioning systems, your bills, and more. This summer, Detroit homeowners should continue to read and learn about the benefits that a lighter colored will bring to your home for the season.
Interactions with the Climate
The choice of paint color for your Michigan residential building’s roof can greatly impact some of the energy issues in your home. In general, darker colors tend to absorb more sunlight, which means they can transfer that heat to the rest of the rooms in the location. In contrast, homes with lighter coloring have a greater deflection rate of the sunlight, which means the roof absorbs less sunlight.
Therefore, house owners who consider the choice of colors for their home’s roof this summer will enjoy a variety of benefits if they choose lighter colored roofs. Also, these advantages can also be enjoyed by people who lived in a region with a warmer climate. The different light color metals that are available for the roof use include:
• White
• Blue
• Light green
• Light bronze
• Peach
• Beige
Also, when looking for light color metal roofs, check that the paint coatings have an Energy Star rating and approval. These roof paint choices have a reflectivity rate between 30% to more than 70%. While Energy Star colors may increase the cost of metal roof installation, the cost is balanced out by the reduction in utility bills from enhanced energy-efficient performance.
Temperature Control
A noticeable impact of the greater deflection of light by the color of the metal roof occurs in the summer. Because the roof’s inability to absorb sunlight, the house instead becomes an area where the temperature is much cooler already without having to turn on the air conditioner. In fact, the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) declares that a white metal roof that is already efficient, up to receiving an Energy Star, may be up to 50 to 60 degrees cooler in comparison to a concrete roof with darker colors.
Your Detroit home might become a popular location where you, your family, and even neighborhood guests can cool off from the unpleasant heat brought by the sun. The deflection from heat means you will have an easier time keeping a stable temperature in your home, especially compared to how it is outside.
Air Conditioner Efficiency
Because your home will be naturally cooler, the load on the air conditioning system of your residence lightens. You will not need to use the air conditioner as much, so the system will not have to perform as much labor, overwork itself, and be subject to breakdowns and expensive repairs. The air conditioner will stay in greater shape and available for use in excessively hot temperatures where even the metal roof’s lighter colors will not help.
Energy Efficiency
In addition to saving money on potential repairs for an overworked air conditioning system, a light-colored metal roof can also reduce the overall monthly energy consumption of the household by around 20 to 30%. This practice spares you from paying greater expenses and makes your home more environmentally friendly, since it reduces the emissions of dangerous fumes and chemicals by decreasing the use of energy devices.
There are also other energy efficiency measures you can take that can complement your selection of metal roof color as well. A home with strong insulation and ventilation in its attic space will also increase the control you have over the temperature. Consider installing photovoltaic solar panels in your house’s metal roof to reduce energy consumption further and make the building greener. You can integrate these panels easily to the roof without compromising its structural integrity or aesthetic value.
The Flipside
While lighter colors for the house’s metal roof are ideal for warm weather installations and houses located in regions with warm climate, they are also not as effective during the winter. Just as light colors benefit the home during hotter weather, darker colors benefit the home during the winter or colder conditions. Dark colors may make it difficult to keep the home cool during the summer, thus increasing air conditioner and cooling bills. However, these colors absorb and maintain heat easier inside the building, which can also reduce costs in the home’s heating system during the winter. Darker roofs may even contribute slightly in melting snow away from the roof.
If you have a light-colored roof during colder climate, you can mitigate this lack of function with other proper insulation and energy efficient techniques.
Choosing the Right Color
The choice of light colors in the roof in warmer climates and weather keeps the home cool naturally, reduces the strain of the air conditioner, and helps you reduce energy consumption and costs. However, it may also not have a strong advantage during colder temperatures. Ultimately, consider these factors, as well as possible HOA restrictions, when choosing the right color for the roof. Choose whatever feels right for your lifestyle and tastes, as well as climate advantages.