Green Architecture: Energy Star Metal Roofing

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Energy Star Metal Roofing by Matt Fay

These days we are trying to be more energy conscious. One of the best changes we can make to lower energy consumption is to change our roofing material to a coated metal roof that will reflect the sun's rays, lowering the amount of energy that you use to cool your home.

There are even more incentives now to convert your roof to metal, as the US Government is now offering tax credits to home owners who replace their roof with approved metal roofing material during 2009. Those who qualify can get back 10% of the cost of their roof in tax credits, to a maximum of $500. Be sure to ask your Absolute Steel representative which metal roofs qualify as Energy Star!

With a metal roof, the heat from the sun is reflected, as opposed to dark asphalt shingles which absorb heat and then release it after the sun goes down. Energy Star roofing has an extra-reflective coating which makes it more energy efficient than regular metal roofing. With an Energy Star roof homeowner's can expect to save up to 40% in their cooling costs.

When considering a change to metal roofing you also want to take into account the climate in which you live. A hotter climate means that you will want to ensure your metal roofing material is pre-painted or granular coated to ensure maximum heat reflection.

Installing a metal roof can help your home with a number of issues besides cooling costs. Increasing the energy efficiency in your home can also help with moisture on window panes, peeling paint and mold. Additionally, there is much less maintenance required on a metal roof than asphalt shingle roof, so you will spend much less time and money taking care of it.

If you currently have a large air conditioner you can save money by downgrading to a smaller model once your roof is installed as you won't need as much cooling power as before. The fact that a metal roof keeps a more constant temperature means that your roof will last longer due to a reduction in thermal shock (cool rain hitting hot roof) which cuts down on stress and degradation on the roof.

Besides the money saving reasons, there is an important environmental reason why you should consider an Energy Star metal roof. In large urban areas there are now many occurrences of hot zones, where the dark asphalt roofs on homes are absorbing heat and release it back into the atmosphere at night. This phenomenon causes the temperature to be as many as 12 degrees higher than surrounding areas, causing increased smog and poor air quality. A metal roof can reduce this problem and make the air around you easier to breathe.

Whether you are environmental or just like to save money, an Energy Star approved metal roof can help you achieve both these tasks, and will help your home stay cooler in the summer months. At the same time you are reducing your fossil fuel consumption by using less energy to cool your home.

Visit http://www.MetalRoofingSource.com to learn more on the benefits of metal roofing.

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