Summers can be relentless, with harsh sun rays beating down. On an average sunny day, your roof can become significantly hotter, even up to 50 degrees hotter than the surrounding air. This intense heat absorbed by your roof can elevate the temperature of your entire house.

No matter how much air conditioning you use, if your roof is absorbing heat, your house won’t cool down efficiently, leading to wasted energy and higher electric bills. To tackle this issue, let’s explore some helpful tips to keep your roof cool during the summer months.

Insulate the Attic

Insulating the underside of the roof decking is crucial for protecting the roof, even though laying insulation on the attic floor helps keep the house cooler. Spray foam is recommended for this purpose, as it prevents heat from radiating through the roof decking, contributing to a cooler attic and home environment. However, one drawback of spray foam is its potential to obscure leak detection. Water can travel between the insulation and the decking, making it challenging to pinpoint the exact location of leaks, which may be several feet away from where the water eventually drips into the attic.

Ventilate the Attic

To prevent heat buildup in the attic, positive airflow is essential. A standard passive ventilation system comprises intake vents positioned at the lowest part of the attic and exhaust vents at the highest. Cool air enters through the intake vents, rises as it warms, and exits through the exhaust vents, naturally cooling both the attic and the underside of the roof decking. However, low-slope roofs may not facilitate sufficient natural convection due to limited vertical space, requiring active ventilation. Installing one or more exhaust fans on the roof or in the gables can enhance circulation in such cases.

Paint the Roof

Using multiple layers of the right product, a white elastomeric roof coating effectively reflects sunlight, maintaining a cooler roof. While off-whites and pastels may align with certain design schemes, they are not universally suitable. In cases where the roof has a low slope and is not highly visible from the ground, the color becomes less significant, making an elastomeric coating a suitable choice.

Have Higher Sloped Roofs

Houses with lower slopes expose their roofs entirely to prolonged sunlight, which can accelerate heat damage and reduce the roof’s lifespan. In contrast, roofs with higher slopes offer better protection against such heat damage since less surface area is directly exposed to the sun for extended periods. While it’s not feasible to alter the slope of your current roof, considering this factor for future homes you may own could be beneficial.

Install Solar Panels

Solar panels offer an ideal solution to keep your house cool while enhancing energy efficiency. By installing solar panels on the roof, you create a protective barrier between the roof and direct sunlight, reducing both the roof and house temperatures. These panels harness solar energy to provide renewable electricity, offering significant savings on your electricity bill by reducing reliance on air conditioning. Ultimately, you benefit from free electricity generated by the sun.

Increase the Shade On Your Roof

To cool down your roof, enhancing shade coverage is a beneficial approach. Preventing direct sunlight from reaching your roof significantly contributes to its cooling. Employing a contractor to apply polyurethane foam atop your roof serves to waterproof it and shield it from harsh sunlight. It’s essential to ensure your roof is thoroughly cleaned before sealing it with this foam. Additionally, nearby trees offer valuable shade, although they may not completely block sunlight. Nonetheless, they effectively reduce your roof’s exposure to intense sunlight, aiding in its cooling process.