Your roof holds great potential for energy conservation. There are a few issues that can cause high utility costs as you heat and cool your home, but a new roof or a roof repair with a few other factors can bring down your energy costs. Improve the energy efficiency of your roof with these roof updates from one of the best roofers in Maryland. These factors can significantly lower your utility costs and even extend the life span of your roof.

Insulation
While reroofing, the energy efficiency of your roof can really be addressed, but even if you’re unable to spring for a new roof now, you can still improve your utility costs. Sufficient insulation is the primary factor that helps your roof conserve energy. It acts as a barrier to reduce the thermal transfer between the extreme temperatures of the attic and the controlled temperature of the living area in your home. Insulation can be added in your attic any time.

Ventilation
Fresh air is important to the lifespan of your roof, as your attic can become very hot in the summer. Ventilation prevents the extreme temperatures from warping your roof decking, which would shorten the life of your shingles. That excessive heat can even be forced down into your living area, causing your air conditioner to work too hard.
Intake vents serve to draw fresh air in. They’re used in low parts of the roof, usually in the soffit under the eaves. Exhaust vents, placed higher on the roof, create an airflow circulation so that cooler air comes in the intake vents and hot air escapes out of the exhaust vents. This naturally prevents extremely high temperatures in your attic.

Shingle Color
Dark roofs absorb more heat than roofs that are light in color, and because of this, dark roofs transfer more heat from the sun to the underside of the roof and into the attic. Energy-efficient, solar-reflecting shingles help reduce that heat absorption and transfer. Solar-reflective shingles also have a longer lifespan because their asphalt base does not wear out as quickly. Paired with adequate insulation and proper ventilation, reflective shingles work very well to optimize the energy efficiency of your roof.

Radiant Barrier
Using a radiant barrier is another way you can control some of the heat transfer from your roof. This barrier, which looks silver, is a selective coating that reflects heat to keep it away from your attic. This is something that is usually done when you are getting a new roof, because it requires the roof deck to be replaced. Combined with the other factors above, a radiant barrier goes a long way to lowering your utility costs.

When you’re ready to make some or all of these updates to improve the energy efficiency of your roof and lower your heating and cooling expenses, call the best roofer in Maryland for the job