In the summer season, the surface temperature of a roof can skyrocket. Often, this temperature can exceed the ambient air temperature surrounding it. Whether you’re curious about your home’s energy efficiency or concerned about heat-related material stress on your roof, it’s essential to understand not only how hot a roof can get but also why it matters.
If the summer air outside your home can reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, your roof is absorbing solar radiation that can easily push its surface temperature into triple digits. Based on the material of your roof, it may reach a temperature range of 150 to 190 degrees or even higher in direct sunlight.
What Factors Influence Roof Temperature?
Variables that affect how hot a home’s roof can get in summer weather include roofing materials, color, sun exposure, ventilation, insulation, humidity, and ambient air temperature. Certain materials absorb heat and retain it more than others. For instance, dark asphalt shingles can become 50 to 90 degrees hotter than the surrounding air, but reflective metals stay much cooler. That’s because a darker roof will attract more heat. A light-colored or white roof will not be as hot as something dark gray or black under similar conditions.
Roofing gets hotter when exposed directly to sunlight, and the longer that exposure is. A roof with southern exposure and slight shading tends to heat up more than most. Poor attic ventilation allows heat to build up, which in turn keeps the roof temperature elevated, thereby raising a home’s internal temperature. Adequate insulation helps buffer the negative impact of extreme roof heat. Naturally, hotter days mean more intense roof temperatures. However, dry, sunny days frequently trigger higher roof temperatures than humid ones.
Roofing Materials and Their Summer Temperature Ranges
Various roofing types deal with summer heat in different ways. Asphalt shingles are especially prone to overheating and can reach temperatures up to 190 degrees. This can raise attic temperatures and shorten shingle lifespans because of repetitive cycles of thermal contraction and expansion.
Wood shakes can get almost as hot, often reaching temperatures in the 120 to 170 degrees range. Metal roofing frequently features a coating that reflects heat, allowing it to maintain a temperature range of 100 to 140 degrees Concrete or clay tiles can also remain relatively cool between 120 and 150 degrees. Cool roofing materials with reflective coatings often stay between 100 and 120 degrees on hot summer days.
How Roof Heat Affects Your Home
If your roof gets very hot, the results can go past simple surface damage. For instance, your home might experience increased cooling costs, a shortened roof lifespan, heat transfer into the living areas, and an impact on solar panels. As a roof heats up, a home’s upper floors and attic absorb some of that heat, forcing air conditioning to work harder and increasing utility bills.
Roofing materials that repeatedly heat and cool can crack, warp, or degrade more quickly over time. Poorly insulated or older homes can allow roof heat to seep into their living spaces, making the households uncomfortable. Solar panels aren’t part of every home, but they do provide shade to the areas of the roofs on which they’re installed. However, their efficiency may be influenced by excessive heat, particularly if there’s no airflow underneath them.
Mitigating Roof Heat in the Summer
Fortunately, there are steps you can take that minimize the impact of elevated roofing temperatures. Install reflective roofing materials that absorb less heat and reflect more sunlight. Improve ventilation by installing attic fans, soffit vents, and ridge vents to circulate hot air out of your attic. Upgrade the insulation to act as a buffer between the hot roofing and cooler interior spaces. Light-colored shingles are good options for re-roofing projects.
Know Your Roof’s Heat Tolerance
Your home’s roof bears the brunt of the scorching summer sun, and its temperature can easily reach 150 degrees or higher, depending on exposure and its material. Understanding how hot a roof can get, and the contributing factors is an essential early step toward a more comfortable, efficient, and long-lasting home.
Ricardo's Alpha Roofing offers residential roofing and commercial roofing services in Columbus, NC. We handle repairs, roof inspections, replacements, gutters, skylights, and sun tunnels. Contact Ricardo's Alpha Roofing to manage your roof’s temperature today.
