A Roof to Beat Alberta's Summer Heat

Fact. Our roofs will keep you cooler in the summer. 

That’s just one of the benefits of choosing our lifetime metal roofing system. But as a metal roofing company, there are quite a few features and benefits we would typically talk about when they are considering an Interlock® metal roof. 



That’s an interesting thought in itself, that your roof can give you benefits that you may not have known or thought about, but lowered inside temperatures is just one of them. But here are some things we know about our metal roofing when it comes to beating the summer heat. One of our customers who had their roof installed in the fall of 2017, had not turned on his air conditioning unit yet by July 2018. You can see that video testimonial on our YouT

ube channel.



But let’s look at your choices.



Most homes have asphalt roofing. It’s the most common because it’s the least expensive roofing material. Most people don’t think about it, but the asphalt shingles actually absorb and retain the heat from those hot sunny days. While it’s a cheaper roofing option, asphalt shingles could be making your air conditioner work extra hard to keep you cool, costing you more money in your utility bills. It could also be why your home may take longer to cool down once the sun has gone down on those really hot days. Asphalt definitely has its pros and cons, but particularly in the summer, it could cost you more money to cool your home as the years go by.



Cedar and Shake roofs can help keep your home a bit cooler, as they have natural thermal insulating properties for both hot and cold weather. Compared to asphalt, cedar roofing is very attractive but expensive. Also, they aren’t lasting as long as they used to as a roofing product because of second and third growth trees. Cedar is also not naturally fire-resistant, which is important as most house fires spread roof to roof.



Clay or concrete Tile roofing is also decent at helping to cool your home, but it’s a very heavy material. A home will typically need to be reinforced to support the extra weight (not great over time as the supporting structure of your home ages). They are also brittle and difficult to install or replace. Tile roofing does last and gives some advantages, but the heavy weight is something you’ll want to consider if you live in an earthquake zone. But overall, a tile roof can help minimize any heat retention by keeping it away from your home.



Overall, and uncontrollably so, roofing can play a part in making your home warmer or cooler. But is there any data or science behind this? Yes, there is. 



In 1998, the Cool Roof Rating Council was formed by the “Godfather of Energy Efficiency”, physicist Art Rosenfeld, saw that roofing was an obvious drain on energy resources based on how well it handled the heat from the sun. As a non-profit organization, they are leaders in rating and certifying roofing products as to their solar reflectivity and thermal emittance. They’ve studied the effects of all types of roofing materials and can determine that what the efficiency of the roofing is.



Interlock Lifetime Metal Roofing is very proud to be rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council and to receive their “Cool Roof” rating.



What that means for you is a much more comfortable temperature inside your home. Savings on air conditioning bills in the summer, and utility bills in the winter.