Energy Efficient Metal Roofing
In revisiting some older issues of the Executive Report, this revamp of Issue 26 from April 2015 is particularly timely as we head into the warmer months ahead. Energy efficiency is always relevant, especially in combination with solar!
Energy efficiency should be a key part of your sales presentation to communicate the value of metal roofing. Through the presentation, we take homeowners on a psychological journey, balancing emotional and logical justification for purchasing an investment-grade roof that is likely more expensive than they expect.
Logical justifications are necessary, even though people tend to make buying decisions based on emotion. Logic shows up when the homeowner brags about their new roof to the neighbors, family members, or coworkers. They’ll bring up the industry-leading warranty, savings on energy bills, or severe-weather performance as reasons to make the investment.
Energy efficiency also factors into a cost analysis following the price presentation. However, we must set realistic expectations for how much a homeowner can save. They should know that any savings will only be on summer cooling costs. Some contractors have tried to argue that metal roofing provides winter savings as well, but those come from insulation, not the roof.
Here’s the crucial statistic: we consistently see homeowners across North America save 20–25% on their summer cooling costs after switching to a metal roof.
But how does metal roofing achieve these savings?
There are three types of heat to manage: radiant, conductive, and convective. Radiant heat is when heat travels through the air – when the sun directly hits the roof. Most metal roofs claim efficiency benefits by reflecting this radiant heat through the use of reflective pigments in their paint systems. These engineered pigments reflect radiant heat, bouncing part of it off before it permeates the home.
Reflective roofing materials became popular due to the now-discontinued Energy Star program and the tax credits that accompanied it. The previous definition of reflective roofing materials required a reflectivity rating of 25% or higher. Reflective pigments allow darker colors to meet this 25% threshold; without them, no brown, black, or gray roof would qualify.
Metal shingle products that mimic the traditional looks of slate, shake, shingles, and tile can also prevent the conductive transfer of heat – heat that passes through solid matter. Metal shingles have an integral airspace on the roof that works like the gap in a thermal pane window. This gap between the roof and decking is just enough space to break the conductive transfer of heat, further decreasing the home’s cooling load.
In our experience, this airspace is actually a more influential factor in energy savings than the reflectivity rating. The Florida Solar Energy Institute compared attic temperatures under one of our brown metal shingle products to a white standing seam – a system with a much higher reflectivity rating but no integral airspace between the panels and decking. They found that our metal shingles kept the attic four degrees cooler than the white standing seam.
Part of metal’s efficiency is its high emissivity rating – meaning any absorbed heat dissipates quickly. We have all felt the heat radiating from a brick home after a long summer day, as it holds that warmth well into the night. Brick has a low emissivity rating, and you can feel it. While a metal roof will heat up in direct sunlight, the heat dissipates quickly. Rather than harboring the heat and slowly transferring it into the home, it returns harmlessly into the atmosphere.
Including an in-depth explanation of metal roofing’s energy efficiency in your sales presentation will position you as an expert and set you apart from the competition. Energy efficiency is a powerful metric to justify the investment a metal roof represents.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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