Living in Los Angeles is the perfect American Dream, but the hot weather and harsh summers can sometimes pose problems for your home. According to statistics, the average daily high in LA is 75.92 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the hot summer months, it’s important to keep your house cool to ensure comfort, health, and energy efficiency. Here is everything LA homeowners need to know to maintain ambient temperatures indoors throughout the year!
Does a Lighter Color Roof Keep Your House Cooler?
Yes, science says that a lighter color roof plays a huge role in lowering the temperature of your house.
This is because the color of your roof directly impacts how much heat is being absorbed or released, especially during the summer when the sun’s rays are the strongest.
Dark colors like black, grey, navy blue, or maroon roof shingles absorb more heat, increasing your house’s temperature indoors. On the other hand, cool roof colors like beige, white, or light grey can reflect heat from the sun’s rays and keep the indoors cooler.
For example, in the Tampa Bay region, a dark roof can increase your attic temperature by up to 40 degrees F, and a lighter color can lower the temperature significantly.
Best Roofing Colors for Hot LA Climates
If you install a dark-colored roof in a hot climate like LA, your home’s interiors will feel stuffy and uncomfortable. As a result, you’ll have to install air conditioners, coolers, and other HVAC options to ensure proper ventilation.
Not only will your energy bills be tremendously high, but the constant heat absorption will also put a strain on your HVAC systems. This can also lead to overheating, a breakdown in your HVAC system, and even constant repairs.
So, here are some of the best roof colors for hot climates:
- White: White is widely considered the best option for a cooler roof because it’s able to reflect almost all of the sunlight and heat, reducing the amount of heat entering the house.
- Light grey: Light grey roofs also offer good reflectivity properties and have a more subtle appearance than stark white roofs. Moreover, a light grey roof looks beautiful with minimalist-styled houses and simple architectural designs.
- Beige or tan: Beige or tan-colored roofs are warm neutral colors that reflect heat and are also able to blend well with architectural styles commonly found in LA. If you have an older-style home, consider these shades.
- Light brown and earthy tones: Earthy tones, like soft browns and warm greens, provide a balance between aesthetic effects and solar reflectivity. If these roofs have a “cool roof” certification, they’ll be able to reduce indoor temperatures.
Heat Reflectivity of Roof Coatings
While roof color shingles play a significant role in regulating the indoor temperature, the coating on the roofs is also equally important. The ability of the coating to reflect or absorb can play a crucial role in reducing heat absorption and lowering your energy bills.
For example, roof coatings with high solar reflective properties are designed to bounce back the solar rays instead of absorbing them. This leads to a decrease in temperature, keeping the roof and the house cooler.
Moreover, cooler temperatures inside the house ensure that you don’t have to constantly rely on air conditioning systems.
So, when you’re looking at roof coatings, make sure to measure the heat reflectivity properties of each coating type to determine their efficiency.
Energy-Efficient Roofing Options
If you’re looking for cost-effective roofing options, you’ll have to consider the kind of weather that dominates where you live.
For example, if you live in a hot and humid region like LA, then metal roofing offers excellent reflective properties to keep your home cooler during summer.
However, for colder climates, consider installing concrete tiles that can absorb volumes of heat and dissipate it slowly.
If you live in a moderate climate where temperatures vary throughout the year, you can choose from a wide range of roofing materials that will absorb and dissipate heat in moderate amounts, such as slate tiles.
By understanding the right roofing materials and coatings for your house, you can reduce up to 20% of the energy consumption used in air conditioning.
Cool Roof Certification
Cool Roof certification is a special certification given to roofs that have reflective coatings that reflect more sunlight than traditional materials.
If a dark-colored roof contains a cool roof coating, it can reflect a good amount of heat and sunlight, keeping the house cooler.
For example, a dark grey roof with a cool roof certification can reflect up to 40% of sunlight, as compared to traditional dark grey shingles that can reflect only 10% of sunlight.
For the city of LA, asphalt shingles need to meet or exceed an SRI value of 20 for all new construction and reroof applications in residential and commercial buildings.
For asphalt shingles, a roof will be considered a cool roof only if it meets or exceeds an SRI of 16.
California Energy Codes
The state of California, including Los Angeles, has taken up different measures to ensure cool roofing options that will not only be cost-effective for homeowners but will also be environmentally friendly.
The most common Energy Code is the Title 24 Energy Code. This requires new and replacement roofs in LA to meet reflectance and emittance minimums.
Builders and homeowners need to choose lighter roofing colors or cool roof products that meet the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) standards. This leads to lower energy bills, possible tax rebates, and even better temperatures inside the house.
Concerns Regarding Light-Colored Roofs
Even though light-colored roofs are able to keep homes cooler in hot climates, many homeowners have often complained about issues like condensation, especially in humid areas of LA. This can be easily combatted by proper insulation and ventilation.
If you make sure that moisture is contained within the building or house envelope, you’ll be able to eliminate condensation.
Alternatively, you should also speak to professional home inspection services and ask them to make sure the home’s ventilation systems are working well. Periodic checks will identify any damage so that you can address it as soon as possible.
Even simple measures like cleaning the house’s debris and repairing minor damages will prevent condensation or associated problems.
Final Thoughts
Lighter roof colors are your best bet for LA’s hot climate. However, you also need to consider additional factors like neighborhood roof trends, the architectural style of your home, and your budget.
If you’re looking for quality roofing materials and a reliable roofer, then talk to us at LA Roofing Materials. We can get you connected with industry-leading builders as well!