How Your Roofing Contractor in Menlo Park Can Paint Your Roof Green

Energy saving is becoming a battle cry among many Americans who seek not only a reduction in their utility bills but also the chance to do their share in protecting the environment. Homeowners in Menlo Park, California who are planning a roofing replacement can consider green, energy-efficient roofing.

Renewable energy expert Claire Anderson writes in Home Power that cool roofs are green roofs, as they help create comfortable indoor temperatures, minimizing the need for air conditioners and other mechanical cooling systems. She advises:

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), dull, dark-colored exteriors can absorb 70% to 90% of the sun’s radiant energy. And your home’s roof could capture about 30% of this undesirable heat gain, depending on its pitch and orientation. Dark-colored roofs can reach temperatures of 150° or more in the summer.

White or light-colored roofing materials (“cool roofs”) reflect sunlight, staying 50°F cooler than their darker counterparts, and reduce the amount of heat absorbed and passed through to the attic or to living spaces below.

“White” roofs’ cooling property can be explained by the relationship between color, temperature, and material.

When light wavelengths hit a surface, the material absorbs some or all of it, and reflects back those which it does not absorb. The color you see on an object is from the wavelengths that the material reflect the most.

For instance, plant leaves are green because when white light, mostly from the sun, hits them, all other colors in the electromagnetic spectrum are absorbed except green, which is reflected to your eyes.

On the other hand, when you see black, it means the material has absorbed all the colors of the white light and nothing is reflected back. When nothing is absorbed and everything is reflected, the resulting color is white.

Meanwhile, the energy absorbed by a material is converted into other forms of energy, mostly heat. This is the reason why darker materials, which absorb more light, also hold and produce more heat.

If you have a dark-colored roof, therefore, you can expect more heat to be absorbed and released into your home. Re-roofing will give you the chance to switch to white roofing, something which a roofing contractor in Menlo Park dedicated to environmentally-friendly practices can help you with.

Your choice of roofing material can also help in cooling your home. A Menlo Park, CA residential roofing contractor like Shelton Roofing can recommend the right material for your home. Light-colored metal roofing, ceramic tiles, or any material with high reflectivity is ideal.

If you are not about to get a roofing replacement, consider insulating your roof. This will help keep out most the California heat especially during those scorching summers.

(Source: Cooling Your Home Efficiently, Home Power)