When you’re building a home, renovating a home you’ve recently purchased, or just upgrading your older home, your roof is an important investment. If you’re planning to put on a new roof, you already know that there are a lot of considerations to make, from which shingles you’ll choose to finding the right contractor to deciding when is the best time to have the project completed. But is the color of your roof really something you need to think about, too? Here’s what you need to know about the importance of your roof’s color:
Does the Color of My Roof Matter?
Honestly, not really. There’s a lot of information out there about what color shingles you should buy depending on what climate you live in, and how energy efficient you’d like for your home to be. While we’ll break this info down for you in this article, it’s important to know that today’s shingles are made with some of the best, most advanced technology the market’s ever seen. Any difference in performance due to the color of your shingles is likely to be minimal. That said, we’ll give you a rundown of what you’ve likely heard, what’s true, and what information you can ignore.
Dark Roof Shingles vs. Light Roof Shingles
If you’ve already done a bit of research, you’ve probably heard that light roof shingles are best for warm climates, while dark roof shingles are better for cooler climates. At face value, this does make some sense. Darker colors absorb more heat, and warmer roofs make it easy for snow and ice to slide right off. Lighter colors reflect sun rays, keeping roofs cooler and helping homeowners in warmer climates save a little on their energy bills.
But, given today’s technology, the lightness or darkness of your asphalt shingles doesn’t have all that much to do with the energy efficiency of your home. What’s more likely to have a bigger impact on your roof’s efficiency is the quality of shingles you choose. When examined side by side, white and black shingles from a high-quality roof manufacturer only provide about two degrees of difference in temperature. That’s not a give enough difference to make a noticeable impact on the comfortability of your home, or the cost of your energy bills.
What’s More Important than the Color of My Shingles?
Like we mentioned above, the quality of your shingles is more important than the color of your shingles. If you’re shopping for a new roof, make sure you choose a roof installation provider who is licensed by a leading roofing manufacturer. For example, here at Werner Roofing, we’re proud to hold the Master Elite certification from GAF shingles. That puts us among the top 3% of roofing contractors in the nation who can install the highest quality GAF asphalt shingles on the market.
Another important component of your roof that will have a greater impact on your home’s efficiency than the color of your shingles themselves is the insulation and ventilation in your attic. If your home is well-insulated, your roof was built properly, and you have the ventilation you need in your attic to regulate your roof’s temperature, you shouldn’t have problems with your roof being too hot or too cold. This offers yet another reason to make sure you’re choosing a roofing professional you trust. Quality work means more energy efficiency and more savings for you down the road.
Choosing a Shingle Color That Complements Your Home
What’s most important when it comes to choosing a shingle color is really how it will go with the rest of your home. In the end, it doesn’t matter too much to your wallet what color your roof is, so long as your roof is well insulated and ventilated, and you choose a high-quality product.
That means the biggest component of choosing the color of your roof is truly aesthetic. Which color will look best with the siding and shutters of your home? If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, you may have to stick to specific guidelines. Otherwise, it’s really just best to take a look at your home and find the asphalt shingle that will best compliment your architectural style, and the colors you’ve already chosen for the exterior of your home.
Still have questions about choosing the right shingles for your roof? Werner Roofing can help! We offer an extensive selection of roofing materials and colors and can help you choose the asphalt shingles that offer the best performance and quality for your home.
