An Orlando Roof Contractor, Roof Top Services of Central Florida, Inc. offers Energy Star Roofing products to help reduce the cooling load in homes. These products are designed to reflect heat instead of absorbing it. As a result, the material not only protects the home from rain but also from the heat.

Nine of ten roofs in the USA are dark in color. During the warmest part of the day, the surface of the dark materials may increase by almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The increase in temperature causes a negative effect on the cooling of a home.

Choosing cool roofs can provide both benefits that are both immediate and long term. As soon as the new materials are installed, the increase in temperature drops to between 10 and 25 degrees Fahrenheit above the outside temperature. This can lead to a savings of up to 15% of one’s annual cooling bill. In addition, the cooler materials offer a longer life as they are less likely to suffer damage from the heat.

Some homeowners are concerned that the energy savings in the summer are lost in the winter when homes benefit from the passive solar heating effect. While the total energy savings does depend on climate, research shows that the savings in summer cooling outweigh the loss in the winter, even near the Canadian border. In warm Florida, the energy savings are much greater.

Heat from the sun is one of the primary factors that causes roofing materials to degrade over time. The high temperatures along with the big variations that occur on a daily basis can be very detrimental to the lifespan of roofing membranes. By reducing these extremes, the resulting damage to the material is also reduced. Coverings can be selected to reflect both UV and IR radiation in order to prolong their life.

Sunlight that strikes a white surface at the top of a building is reflected back. Most of the heat passes back through the earth’s atmosphere and returns to space. However, when it strikes a dark surface is absorbed. The energy is converted to the longer wavelengths known as heat. Heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and adds to the problem of global warming.

While Energy Star roofing is important for single family homes, it may be even more important for commercial structures. These buildings often have large flat roofs. The flat surface increases the heat absorbed due to the fact that sunlight hits the surface with its greatest intensity at the time it is directly overhead, causing even more heat gain. On single story buildings, this heat can increase operation costs, diminishing the overall profit gains. The impact of making these conversions on commercial buildings can greatly lower global warming.

The way that Energy Star roofing is installed can make a huge difference in its effectiveness at reflecting light. In addition, professional roofers can address special situations where leaks are most likely to occur to provide a trouble free roofing system. Roof Top Services of Central Florida, Inc., an Orlando Roof Contractor, can provide the Energy Star materials installed to the manufacturer’s specifications.