4 Ways Klaus Roofing Systems of Cincinnati Can Increase Your Energy Efficiency
The Greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas have experienced some pretty intense storms recently. Klaus Roofing Systems of Cincinnati wants to know; Is your roof damaged by hail or high winds as a result of these storms? Now is the perfect time to educate yourself on what changes you can make to increase your roof’s energy efficiency. Klaus Roofing Systems of Cincinnati are your expert roofers with a plethora of roof services that will help you find a solution. Join us, as we explain the top four ways we can make your roof more energy-efficient.
Energy-Efficiency Starts With Your Shingles
Did you know the two most important factors about your shingles that make them energy efficient are the colors and the materials they're made of?
The Color of Your Shingles
The science of colors is pretty simple. Lighter colors reflect light, and dark colors absorb them. When it comes to the colors you put on your house, it's important to consider the climate you live in. States with long winters like Alaska or North Dakota would want to invest in black roofs to conserve heat. On the other hand, states like Arizona and California would be wise to put white roofs on their home so it reflects the sunlight. Where does that leave Ohio and Northern Kentucky? Our winters aren’t particularly long, and neither are our summers.
For the midwest, a light gray or brown would suit us best. These shades are ideal because we still need the absorbancy or reflectiveness of our roofs at different times of the year. In the winter we want our home to absorb and hold onto as much heat as it can so our heaters don’t have to do all of the work. “Most importantly,” says Huffpost.com “they lower temperatures inside of homes and businesses, thereby reducing the need for air-conditioning during the hot summer months. That translates to additional savings in CO2 emissions.” We offer a variety of colors that would look quite nice on your house. Our favorites are Antique Slate, Barkwood, and Weathered Wood.
How the Shingle is Made
Our ENERGY STAR® shingles were developed to save you money right down to the very granule. The scientists that study our building materials decided to focus on the granules adhered to the shingle because they’re directly what’s on top. The granules are coated in a reflective base that increases their light reflectiveness by 20%. That’s a 17% increase over normal shingles! So if you're looking to save money on cooling your home this summer our “cool roof” Energy Star shingles are the way to go.
There's More to Energy Efficiency Than Just the Color of Your Roof
According to an article by Builderonline.com, making your roof energy-efficient is more than just changing the color of your roof. The architecture of your roof is important too. Elizabeth Grant, the associate professor in the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech, had this to say about the color of roofs after a study in 2017.
“Roof selection is an architectural issue,” Grant said in a news release. “It’s not as simple as slapping a white roof on everything to gain a LEED point. Architects and roof consultants need to be aware of potentially adverse thermal effects when choosing roof membranes, particularly where roof surfaces are adjacent to walls that can be affected by bounced sunlight. We need to be intentional in which color roofing we use and consider where the heat goes.”
Updating the pitch and structure of your roof could have a major impact. It helps maximize energy efficiency, your roof should also be engineered to match the climate and time you live.
If your skylights are old or made of low-quality material odds are they are an energy sap. But, did you know the pitch of your roof could have a big impact on your skylight's energy efficiency too? Energy.gov explains “The slope or tilt of the skylight affects solar heat gain. A low slope will admit relatively more solar heat in the summer and less in the winter, exactly the opposite of what is desirable.” We take this into consideration when discussing a skylight replacement with you.
Old and low-quality skylights can drain the heat or cool air quickly too. That’s why we suggest replacing them when you need a roof repair. Our skylights are designed with energy efficiency in mind. As these windows age, the seal goes bad causing a draft or water leak. When we update your skylights we update everything so you get a brand new light as well as flashing and seal. To allow better ventilation in your home some skylights have a vent built-in. Other skylights are open and close to allow the hot or cold air to escape.
Ventilation
Older homes were built intentionally with gaps and small holes. The idea was natural ventilation would increase the air quality in the home. Since central heating and air conditioning wasn’t a common household appliance until the 70s they weren’t worried about how inefficient that made HVAC systems. Now that we know the effect poor ventilation can have on houses we are improving the roofing ventilation systems. When we inspect your home, ventilation issues are one of the things we’re looking for.
We use the most state-of-the-art products when we replace the ventilation systems on your roof. Our ridge vents are manufactured to prevent rain and bugs like bees from entering. Our soffit vents allow fresh air to enter the attic, allowing warm air to escape through the upper vents. Another place we can help control your airflow is at the gables. If you ever noticed a screened vent positioned near the peak of a gable, that is known as a gable-end vent. Depending on the outside airflow and temperature, the screen allows hot air to depart the attic and fresh air to enter. If any of these ventilation systems are missing from your home we can help you incorporate that into your new roof.
If you are in the market for a new roof and you want to make your house more energy-efficient Klaus Roofing Systems of Cincinnati is your one-stop-shop. We will update your shingles, skylights, and ventilation systems and search for any other aspects of your roof that could be draining your money. Call us today for your free estimate.
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