Q:  What's green but comes in lots of colors?  A:  A metal roof. 

Due to metal roofs' low maintenance, properties that are eco-friendly, and their incredible longevity, they are becoming a hot trend for homes, especially here in Minnesota.  Their amazing beauty should not be underestimated.

If you're looking for environmentally responsible green roofing, this is your best choice, but these roofs are available in other colors, too.

A consideration that is extremely important is the color to choose for your new metal roof. Even though metal roof manufacturers offer a variety of shades, the color you choose has an effect on its performance and environmental impact.

2015-08-13_0927Factors in Choosing a Metal Roof Color Top Performance Almost everything Mother Nature has to throw, a metal roof can endure. The material gives it the reflexivity and strength, and the color plays a part of how it ages as well as its energy efficiency. Roofs that are colored light or white reflect the utmost amount of light. Your home is kept cooler and bills for cooling are lower. If your heart is set on a color that is darker, be sure it receives “cool coating.” This gives a layer of pigments that are highly reflective, allowing it to reflect nearly as much light as a white roof. If not, your home will become overheated and cooling bills will rise. Impact on the Environment For areas with high amounts of snow such as we get here in the Minneapolis area, a dark roof might be beneficial. Due to it absorbing heat, snow tends to melt quickly, with accumulations sliding off easily because the metal is slippery. Your home will be warmer in cold weather.

However, if your home is in the city and you have light colored or white roof, a “heat island” can be prevented. Energy usage across the city can be lowered with white roofs due to heat being dissipated effectively. With the many buildings in the city, dark roofs can raise the temperature in the area.

Aesthetics Of course, visual impact can be a very important aspect when choosing what color metal roof you want. Some people choose bright blues, greens, and bold reds to make a statement. Others choose colors to coordinate with their doors and windows, possibly greys, browns, or mossy green. Keep in mind the looks it will have in the day and night.

Light colored roofs have been promoted as being cooler, but with the availability of a cooling coat, homeowners can choose almost any color.  The photo above shows the color selection in KasselWood steel roofing from Kassel & Irons, just one of the metal roofing products we offer.

For all your roofing needs contact Quarve Contracting!  We are proud to install steel and other metal roofing.  To find out more, give us a call for a free consultation.