Metal roofing in both light and dark colors reflects heat effectively to reduce cooling loads in the summer and insulate homes during the winter. This is a benefit of metal roofing because it can help to lower energy bills. The secret to metal roofing’s energy savings is in its variety of finishes. A highly reflective and highly emissive painted or granular-coated metal roof is optimal for reducing energy consumption and can actually re-emit up to 90% of absorbed solar radiation.
Installing a metal roof can also help the environment in other ways, too. Conventional roofing products, including asphalt shingles, contribute an estimated 20 billion pounds of waste to U.S. landfills annually, whereas metal roofs can often be installed over an existing roof, eliminating the cost and eco-impact of tear-off and disposal. These environmental benefits offer even more evidence of why metal roofing is so popular.
Longevity is one of the top benefits of metal roofing that consumers report choosing metal roofing for their homes. Metal roofing can last as long as 50 years or more, requiring very little maintenance and looking beautiful all the while. But it isn’t just the dependability that people love about long-living metal roofing—it’s the low lifecycle cost. Few homeowners realize it until after the fact, but metal roofing can actually cost as little or less than asphalt roofing. Since asphalt roofing needs to be replaced two to four times as often as metal roofing, you really need to multiply not only the initial cost of asphalt roofing materials but also the cost of asphalt roof repairs and re-installation man hours to compare to the typical “once-a-lifetime” metal roofing installation. (Courtesy of Metal Roofing Alliance)