You recently mentioned the benefits of installing a white metal roof on buildings to reflect heat from your home. Wouldn leaving the metal its natural silver color reflect better?
No. White is superior in terms of heat buildup. Unfinished metal roofs can get very hot. Whatever heat unfinished metal roofs absorb from the sun is not readily lost back to the exterior environment because unfinished metal surfaces do not lose heat by radiation very well. This results in high surface temperatures so that even the apparent reflectivity advantage of these roofs is not realized. Watching the reactions to this process is probably how Tennessee Williams got the name “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” for his famous play.
Related Questions
- Remember that emissivity and reflectivity both play a part in the surface temperature of a roof. Back to Top Why does a white prepainted metal roof have a much higher emissivity than an unpainted metal roof?
- You recently mentioned the benefits of installing a white metal roof on buildings to reflect heat from your home. Wouldn leaving the metal its natural silver color reflect better?
- Does a metal roof have any insurance benefits for homeowners?
