Top 5 Cool Roofing Materials for Warm Climates

Staying in a warmer climate can make you wonder what type of roofing materials you need to tackle the excessive heat in your location.

Extreme room temperature can lead to frustration and many health issues. Also, excessive heat can eat deeply into your monthly budget due to the frequent use of air conditioners.

The more you use the air conditioner the more you spend on energy consumption. However, this can be a thing of the past with the availability of some roofing materials that can help to keep your home cool.

What you will get from this article is a list of top cool roofing materials for warm climates. With these materials, you are going to save a lot of money as they will help you to cut down on excessive energy consumption.

 

Cool Roofing Materials for Warm Climates

It is essential for you as a homeowner to pay attention to the color of the roof you are trying to get. The color also plays a significant role in keeping your home hot or cold. The best advice is to choose a roofing material with light colors like white.

 

1. Metal

Opting for a metal roof is an excellent choice for combatting heat in a hot region. If you have been paying attention to warm cities, you would notice the prevalent use of metal roofing.

The major hindrance you might encounter with this type of roofing is the pricing since metal roofing is pretty expensive to mount. However, the good news here is that it has a cheap maintenance fee and you save cost from excessive energy consumption.

There are a series of metal roofing options available for you to choose from like copper, aluminum, and several others. They all have a different method of reflecting the rays of the sun to reduce the heat in your home.

Another impressive option of reflectiveness you can get is the painting on any of these metals. As stated earlier, the color of paint on your roofing material also plays a significant role in reducing the heat that comes into your home.

The airspace between your metal roofing and your decking serves as a coolant for the warm air coming through your home. Therefore, it is essential to have an adequately carved airspace in your home to serve as a temperature barrier. This temperature barrier will help to prevent the heat of the sun from directly entering your home.

Using a metal roof is worth considering in hot climates because of its fire-resistant functionality. You can reduce the intensity of a fire outbreak with this functionality. Furthermore, due to the reusable nature of this roofing material, you can sell it off to be recycled into another product after exceeding its life span.

 

2. Clay

One of the very first benefits of having a clay roof is that it lasts longer than many other roofing materials.

It can last for 50 years –  and more in some cases. If you want to have a taste of what it feels like to live in a colonial home, having a clay roof is an excellent choice. Since its inception, clay has been known to prevent humans from excessive heat. It is, therefore, a good option for roofing material.

The material comes in a pretty light color, which serves as a good reflector of heat rays. It serves as an eco-friendly choice and does not require painting. You can easily recycle it in the future if need be.

It features a curved shape that helps to make a difference in terms of proper air circulation. The coolness preserved all through the day offers you a calm home.

Clay is one of the most expensive roofing materials on the market; this is majorly due to its weight. The weighty feature is why it is important to place more attention on the foundation of your home before using it.

Using this material may come as really stressful in the beginning but you have the assurance that its pros trounce its cons.

 

3. EPDM Membrane

 

Image credit: remodelingcosts.org

Most people often attribute EPDM to rubber but the reality is that it is a synthetic substance that looks like rubber. The very first advantage of this design is its increased durability, which allows the material to stand against all forms of harsh weather conditions.

The design is pretty stable against extreme heat, and you are assured that it will not crack or disintegrate. With the EPDM membrane, you will experience a feeling close to using cedar or slate.

It is a lightweight and highly reflective material with features that make it very suitable for use in warm climate regions. It is cheaper than most of the other roofing materials like tile and green roofs. Furthermore, it does not require any significant maintenance and it can last for a series of decades before it wanes.

The best decision you can make while choosing your EPDM membrane is to select the one with a lighter color. Doing this will serve as an added advantage for the reduction of heat in your home for as long as possible.

 

4. Concrete Tile

A concrete tile roofing is way cheaper than its clay and slate counterpart. It makes an excellent choice for a warm-weather climate roofing because of its bulky nature.

The heavy nature of the concrete tile roof is where its power lies because this makes it sluggish to hold heat. If you choose this material, you’re sure to have your home remain cool all day long.

Using this type of material also comes with other advantages like shielding your home from terrible weather conditions as well as preventing pests. Yes, you read that right. A concrete slab roof helps to control pests.

This roofing material comes in different forms including the tile form and the poured concrete form. The tile form is heavy enough to combat heat rays but it isn't as heavy as the poured concrete form. In this case, you can choose anyone that you find attractive since they still serve the same purpose.

Concrete roofing is fire resistant. The highly porous design makes it a reasonable retainer of colors. Therefore, you can give it a painting that will also reduce the effect of heat in your home.

It is built with strong materials like cement, sand, and water. This makes it extremely strong enough to withstand the effect of rainwater. Make sure you are aware of the required code of installation before choosing to use this material for your home.

 

5. Green

The first thing you will notice about this material is its uniqueness and attractive design. You will love that it makes your home energy efficient. To activate the uniqueness and beauty of a green roof, you require a waterproof membrane plus a lot of soil vegetation on your roof.

The effect of this is to serve as a coolant for your home when there is extreme temperature. Once activated, it will help grow the greenery top of the roof.

While bringing cold weather to your home, you can also enjoy the beauty of the green plants growing on the roof. The plants will also supply your home with oxygenated air, making it suitable for a congested home.

This type of roofing material is, however, not popular because of the stress and expertise required to mount it.

It comes with a lot of benefits that will make your home look great and keep it free from hot air.

 

Conclusion

It can be tough to make the right decision for the roofing of your home. Therefore, you need to put a lot of thought into place before you make a decision.

The materials listed in this article come with a series of pros and cons. The best advice is to weigh your options, consider the nature of your home, and tick the pros against the cons as much as possible.