Roofing For A Hot Climate

When it's time to replace your roof you have several options available. You can either simply use the same material and style to mimic what was already there and replace it or you can opt for a different style in different materials to change the appearance and functionality of your roof.

If you're replacing the roof of your home, the chances are your house is at least 20 years old since that is how long most roofs are warranted for. And roofs that are even just 20 years old are not as economically green as today's options are. What this means for you is the opportunity to replace a roof that may be a source of energy loss with a new roof that is geared more towards keeping the elements out and your heat and cooling in. You may not even realize how much energy you're losing through your roof until you begin to do your research about the new types of material available on the market.

Depending on the geographical area that you live in and the type of weather that you experience, the type of roofing material your home actually needs to become environmentally green will vary.

In warmer areas such as California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona where snow and rain are not the norm but constant heat is, you want a roof that is designed to reflect back heat to give your home the best source of insulation possible. Reflective roofing material can encompass a wide variety of things including white metal roofing or white concrete tile roofing. It can also mean using reflective materials under the roof itself such as foil batts to help achieve an attic insulation level of R-45.

Reflective insulation in conjunction with attic insulation can work to help lower your energy bills and make your home more energy-efficient and climate controlled. How you ultimately need to insulate your attic and the type of materials you will need to use on your roof will depend on the pitch and how much attic space you actually have.

This is why it's important to talk to several roofing contractors and make sure you have a good solid understanding of what your options are and why certain options are better than others. You need to get a solid budget before you begin making any decisions. While you want to spend as much as you need to save money you don't want to spend more than what you can afford on the project.

Finally get any warranties of material or labor in writing from the contractor you ultimately decide to take on the project. Hopefully if everything goes as planned you will not be replacing your roof again anytime in the near future, but if something does go wrong you want to make sure you have the ability to have it repaired under warranty if it applies.