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I live in Ohio and I am getting a new roof with dimensional shingles. The roofing company told me that the color does not make much difference when it comes to HVAC energy usage, and that the choice is purely personal preference. They said that the lighter shingles are a little cooler in the summer and the darker shingles are a little warmer in the winter, but that the effects balance out. This makes sense to me. Then I asked if the color of the shingle had any effect on durability, as I would expect there to be different stresses on the shingle when facing very high versus very cold temps, and they said there was no difference, although they didn't support this statement with any reason.
Does anyone have any evidence that one color of shingle is better in my climate zone? I have noticed that most of the houses in my area tend to have darker shingles, but that many of the newer houses have lighter shingles. Cosmetically I don't have a preference, but roofs are very expensive and a giant hassle to replace so I would prefer to do everything I can to insure that it lasts as long as possible.
My father in law is a roofing contractor and he helped me replace my roof a few weeks ago. His opinion was that the lighter shingles were better but I think part of his reasoning was that he hates to be on a black roof in the summer. I went with white shingles since he was helping me for free, and I liked the look of them better anyway. I doubt it makes a huge difference. Anecdotally though I've noticed more deterioration on the darker roofs than the lighter ones in my neighborhood, but it's by no means universal. I live in central New England.
It really doesn't matter. *What damages shingles most is the UV light degrading the tar.* The stone cover doesn't affect that one way or the other, nor does the heat particularly change things. If you want to make sure the roof lasts as long as possible, you want to focus on the underlayment - solid deck with all suspect wood replaced, heavy duty tar paper (which is the REAL moisture barrier, not the shingles) and metal flashing in all valleys and at least 18" up from the eaves. The purpose of shingles is to protect the tar paper and to look pretty. One other thing - once the tar paper is on, from that point forward the faster it is covered and the less people walk on the roof, the longer it will last. That tar paper wants to be exposed only long enough for the inspector to check it.
Proper installation (as noted above), I prefer membrane to flashing for valleys and roof overhangs, no overhanging trees, extended shade cover, and keeping it clean- don't allow debris to accumulate in valleys or gutters.
But, the most important thing one can do to insure a roof will perform to its maximum potential- make sure you have ADEQUATE VENTILATION in the attic!
Thank you for the responses. A few comments made me think a bit more about this job. The roofer suggested using a special type of overlapping shingle instead of metal flashing for the various places where different sections of roof meet. He said that the metal is prone to rusting if not repainted periodically and that having someone climbing around to paint it every few years was not good for the roof. Is this common or should I stick to the metal?
Also, I do have a locust tree that is close to my house and there are some branches that hang over one section. How does this tree harm the roof? The side of the house without the tree is in significantly worse shape than the part shaded by the tree, although I do need to clean the gutters very regularly due to the brown crud that locust trees are prone to shedding.
Finally, the roofers are going to add additional ridge vents because they said that the gable vents currently in place are not doing much, and that the new roof will be much more efficient for heating and cooling.
The roofing company I am using is the best rated one in my city, and everything I have read about the materials they are using has been positive. I was planning on deferring to their expertise, but I also recognize that they make money by selling me (and my insurance company) more bells and whistles, so I don't want to spend money on features that are not beneficial.
Flashing is typically aluminum and doesn't rust. It is NOT exposed in valleys but it (or KBs membrane) sits UNDER the lapped shingles. There is a different style where metal is exposed in valleys, but I haven't seen it used in a while.
The brown crud from the tree can be acid and can promote mold. If you are keeping up with cleaning, it is much less of an issue.
I HATE ridge vents. Before you OK it, have them show you some that are ALREADY INSTALLED and ask the homeowner what they think of them. Ask if they have noticed snow or heavy rain getting blown into the attic after storms. Ask about insect intrusion. I would do unpowered mushroom vents instead of a ridge vent in a heartbeat.
Yeah, I'd love to hear someone explain that! The ONLY reason gable vents wouldn't do much is they are either fake or blocked off. Improving the performance of attic ventilation by (just) adding a ridge vent is BS! If you have vents on the soffits and the gable vents you're probably good already. Roofers love to "up-sale" the ridge vent because its cheap and adds no REAL labor cost to an install job.
If you do get talked into the ridge vent- ask them if they're going to block off the gable vents- otherwise the ridge vent is doing NOTHING!
Not much of a choice in Florida since 1994 when 'andrew' building code was imposed. All homes are hip roof. A faux gable can be added on the decking. Total perimeter vented soffit. Almost all with ridge vent.
Most homes with white shingles. But in a couple of years, north side of roof will start showing mildew.
Venting can be a mixed can of worms. Here are the folks that actually write a lot of the code we use today on the issue of how and when to vent. As they call it, Venting 101. It's pretty basic and written for even a layman to understand. From Building Science Corporation: http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...n-roof-venting
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