What metal roof color is the most energy efficient?

The Benefits Of Metal Roofing

Metal roofing has become increasingly popular over the years with the rise of barndominiums. But metal roofs are for more than barns and shop buildings.

They can actually save you up to 40% in energy spending because of the way the metal reflects heat and insulates your home. This starkly contrasts with traditional asphalt shingles that absorb heat and trap it inside.

In fact, pre-painted metal roofs reflect solar radiation and prevent that heat from entering the structure. This utilization of energy from the sun also insulates your building during the winter, making metal roofing one of the most cost-effective and energy-efficient options you can choose.

Some other benefits of metal roofing include the following:

• Longevity — Most metal roofs can last anywhere from 50-70 years.
• Durability — They can sustain high winds and heavy impacts.
• Lightweight — Metal roofing panels are easy to install and lightweight on your structure
• Maximum rain shedding.
• Fungus-proof — Metal discourages this type of growth.
• Fire-resistant — While metal conducts heat, it doesn’t necessarily catch on fire, thus protecting your home.

While we’ll focus mainly on the energy-efficiency here, these are important considerations when you’re selecting the material you want to use for your roof.

Understanding Color Ratings

Regarding color theory, lighter colors are better at being energy efficient than darker colors. And as you’re finalizing your roof design, you’ll want to keep this in mind.

On a technical note, lighter colors reflect more of the sun’s energy, so they feel cooler to the touch. That’s why, although plain metal roofs have most of the same functionality as unpainted (also called “mill finish” or “Galvalume”) roofs, they do not have the energy-saving capabilities of a roof with a painted finish.

At Tri County Metals, we have expansive color options that are known as “cool roof” colors. And they each have letter ratings that denote how well they do at radiating heat.

Let’s take a look at a few of these symbols below:

Solar Reflectance

Also known as SR, solar reflectance refers to UV and Infrared light rays being reflected from the roof surface.

Emissivity

Emissivity, or E on our charts, is the characteristic of a painted metal roofing panel to release heat energy back into the atmosphere. The higher the Emissivity number on our color chart, the faster that heat is released.

With these two letters in mind, you can more accurately look at a color chart and determine which color has better SR or E features to suit your needs.

The Most Energy-Efficient Metal Roof Color

While you’ll want to consider your overall design scheme when choosing your roof color, here are some of the most popular and energy-efficient ones to choose from from our in-stock color offerings:

• White: Polar White or Regal White
• Green: Evergreen (Core Defender) or Aged Copper
• Gray: Ash Gray or Dove Gray
• Blue: Hawaiian Blue
• Earth tones: Light Stone or Sandstone