Cut Energy Costs by Improving Your Roof System

3472863Your roof is your home’s greatest protection from both the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. Energy efficient roofing is essential to keeping your house comfortable year round without breaking the bank.

Keeping Cool in the Summer

If you’re like the majority of Americans, you chose dark, asphalt shingles when you had your contractor install the roofing on your home. In the summer, the dark color absorbs the heat, causing your air conditioner to use much more energy to keep your house cool.

When the time comes to replace your roof, you might opt for one of the fancy, new “cool roofs.” These are energy efficient, but quite expensive. If you’re like the majority of people, your budget will urge you to stick with the more affordable asphalt shingles. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t improve your roof’s energy efficiency. Asphalt shingles that are lighter in color, which will reflect the sun’s light rather than absorb it. This will keep your shingles significantly cooler, which, in turn, keeps your whole house cooler.

Staying Warm in the Winter

Keeping your house warm in the winter is less about your roofing materials, and more about proper sealing and insulation in your attic—between your living space and roof. If your home energy bill is high, and especially if you have problems with ice dams forming on your roof, you should give us a call to come over and inspect your system so we can determine ways to make your roof more energy efficient.

There are two likely culprits causing your energy inefficiency, both of which we can fix. The first is leaks between the living space and the attic. The second is inadequate attic insulation. Sealing the attic involves filling in gaps in the attic floor, which are caused by normal house settling or from various holes made to install light fixtures, wires, and ducts. Adding attic insulation actually makes your home more comfortable and energy efficient year round. The insulation not only keeps heat in the house all winter, but also serves as a barrier to keep heat out in the summer. When these two problems are properly corrected, you will see your home energy bill drop significantly.

To make your roof system more energy efficient give us a call. At Elite Roofing we can inspect your system and make adjustments so that you can save money on your next energy bill. Give us a call or click here for a quote.