White roofs are gaining traction across the country as an alternative to reduce heating and cooling costs. The color of your roof can affect how heat transfers between the roof and the building itself, drastically changing the temperature during the hot months of the year. Let’s look at white roofs and if they truly make a difference as they gain in popularity.
More About White Roofing
The Northwest is seeing an influx of white roofs being put on homes and buildings looking to save time and money. White started in the Midwest, making their way north, and are popular in areas like Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. Over the last 10 years, the boom has seen roofs replaced across the north as homeowners are looking for ways to save on rising cooling costs.
White roofs are actually beneficial to cooling costs in the south, where temperatures rise much hotter than they do in the north during the summer. Unfortunately, the boom in the north has come from misconceptions about what white roofs can actually do. In the north and northwest, particularly studies in Seattle, Washington, white roofs are increasing the overall energy costs for homeowners who have fallen prey to this scam.
When it comes to roofing, you have to go with the roof that will save you the most money, give your home the benefits of heating and cooling costs, along with what will last well into the future. While many believe white roofs are beneficial to the overall reduction of heating and cooling costs, that’s just not always true. It depends on a variety of factors that lead to an overall practice of cost reduction.
If you’re not sure whether a white roof is necessary, don’t ask one roofer. Get quotes from a handful of them, do your own research and look up the different studies done on these types of roofs. Make the decision yourself and don’t let a roofer convince you otherwise if you feel like a white roof really won’t make a difference for your home or building. White roofs can help but not in all circumstances.
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