Can a Metal Roof in Indianapolis Keep Your Home Cool in the Summer?

Unfortunately, it’s common for Indiana homeowners to assume that a metal roof will lead to an even hotter home during the summer. Under the bright, direct sunlight, won’t a metal roof just heat up and, in turn, impact the temperature inside your home? In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Metal Roofs Are an Ideal Choice for Summer Heat

Not only does a metal roof not lead to a hotter home during the summer, it can actually help to keep your home cooler than most other types of roofing materials. In fact, there is a good chance that your current roof is actually serving to draw thermal energy into your home, resulting in unnecessarily high air conditioning bills. Asphalt roofs, in particular, are notorious for causing this issue.

Metal roofing is both affordable and highly durable, although those aren’t the only benefits you will reap as soon as you install a metal roof. It is also possible for your metal roof to save your household as much as 15% to 25% on cooling costs during those hot summer months. In addition, metal roofs are incredibly low-maintenance, especially compared to many other common roofing materials.

How Can a Metal Roof Cool Down Your Home?

While it is true that metal surfaces, along with most other materials, will heat up in direct sunlight, that doesn’t mean a metal roof will transfer thermal energy into your home. The thermal properties of metal actually make it much less likely to raise the temperature in your Indianapolis home during sunny summer days. Here are a few reasons a metal roof can keep your home cool and reduce your air conditioning bills during the summer.

1. Metal Roofs Have a Low Thermal MassMost traditional roofing materials, including asphalt, tile, wood, and concrete, are excellent at retaining the thermal energy the sun produces. During the course of a long summer day, these types of roofs are constantly absorbing the heat that they receive from the sun. Worse, many common roofing materials retain this heat, continuing to keep the surface of your roof too warm—even hours after the sun has set, an asphalt shingled roof could be warm to the touch.Since these common roofing materials have a tendency to retain heat, your home’s interior temperature will suffer— especially during the summer months. Even after the sun has gone down, traditional roofs will continue to radiate the heat that they stored throughout the day into your attic space and throughout your home. Unfortunately, this contributes to increased energy costs.However, if you opt to replace your current roof with a metal alternative, you will no longer have to worry about this frustrating issue. Unlike asphalt shingles, metal roofing has a low thermal mass, meaning it has a low capacity to store heat. As a result, although your roof may feel hot to the touch during the daytime, that doesn’t mean that this heat is being redirected into your home. In fact, a metal roof will quickly cool down once the sun sets.
2. Metal Roofs Are ReflectiveAs mentioned, asphalt shingles and other traditional roofing materials gain heat throughout the day and continue to release it into your home in the evening. One reason this occurs, aside from thermal mass, is because these roofing materials have not been designed to reflect the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere. Darker, matte materials like asphalt shingles absorb heat at a much higher rate than lighter, more reflective materials—a standard asphalt roof can reach temperatures of up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.By contrast, metal is a naturally reflective material that radiates much of the sun’s thermal energy back into the surrounding air. In addition, metal roofs can be treated with a reflective coating to help further discourage energy absorption. Much like you feel cooler in the summer while wearing light-colored, reflective clothing than energy-absorbing dark-colored clothing, a metal roof can help your home feel cooler by reflecting heat away from your home.
3. Metal Roofs Provide Efficient VentilationAssuming that your new metal roof is installed by a skilled and reliable roofing contractor, you can expect it to provide your home with highly efficient ventilation. Though it may seem counterintuitive, ventilation is crucial to an energy efficient roof. When a metal roof is correctly installed, its energy efficient cooling properties will only be more obvious within your home.Via a mixture of ridge and soffit vents, metal roofs are highly capable of improving the ventilation. This ventilation system is able to prevent heat from circulating throughout the attic space and warming your home. Instead, it will be redirected and circulated out of your attic. Overall, this can make a noticeable impact on your cooling costs during the summer. Metal roofs are a fantastic way to save money on air conditioning throughout the hottest months of the year.

What Other Benefits Can a Metal Roof Provide to Your Home?

Aside from reducing your energy costs during the summer months, metal roofs are money-saving in multiple other ways.

For instance, as we mentioned earlier, metal roofing is an incredibly low maintenance roofing option due to its high durability rating. If you currently have asphalt shingles on top of your Indianapolis home, you may have already experienced a frequent need for repairs. In addition, these roofs tend to break down far quicker than a metal roof, typically needing replaced every 15 to 30 years. This can be sped up even further due to harsh weather conditions, such as frequent severe storms.

While repair and replacement costs can quickly create a strain on your finances, it doesn’t have to be this way. Metal roofs are highly durable, and will typically remain in place for over 50 years before requiring replacement. As a result, these roofs also tend to come with fantastic warranties, some stretching as far as 40 years.

Install a Metal Roof to Keep Your Home Cool

Contrary to popular belief, metal roofs are highly effective at keeping your home cool during the summer due to their unique thermal properties. Metal roofing reflects heat, rather than absorbing it, as with asphalt shingles and other traditional roofing materials. In addition, metal roofing does not retain heat or radiate it into your home. If you’re looking to reduce your energy bills by as much as 25% during the summer months, consider installing a metal roof. Your family—and your wallet—will thank you.