Energy-efficient roofing in Calgary can mitigate heating costs and enhance indoor comfort through extreme winters. By choosing energy-efficient materials such as cool roofs, metal, and high-performance shingles, homeowners can reduce energy consumption and save on utility costs.
Combined with proper insulation and ventilation, energy efficiency makes roofs more durable and eco-friendly. Calgary’s climate requires roofing solutions that can stand up to heavy snow, strong wind, and extreme temperature changes, all while protecting your home and maintaining energy efficiency.
By choosing energy-saving roofing, you’re making a choice that is good for your wallet and the world around you. Superior Roofing offers expert roofing solutions designed for Calgary’s unique climate, helping homeowners achieve energy efficiency and long-term durability.
What Is Energy-Efficient Roofing
Here’s how energy-efficient roofing can help reduce your home’s energy usage. It accomplishes this by reducing the need for heating and cooling. It works by incorporating materials and technologies that help regulate indoor temperatures, making your home more comfortable while lowering utility costs.
In Calgary, summers can be hot and winters are extreme. This should clarify that such roofing provides year-round benefits by efficiently balancing the retention and reflection of heat.
One of the most important benefits of energy-efficient roofing is its positive impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By reducing the amount of energy needed to keep a home cool, houses equipped with energy-efficient roofs help protect the environment.
Reflective materials, including metal roofs and special shingles, save you money by preventing heat build-up in your home. They can reduce your air conditioning load by an average of 10-15%. This means saving an average of 7-11% on bills right off the bat while helping to reduce the share of energy we use overall.
Innovative materials are key to this effort. Energy-efficient shingles have high solar reflectance, which helps keep your home cooler during the summer months. Insulated roofs serve to keep heat in during Calgary’s cold winters.
When properly installed and maintained, these roofs provide long-term energy savings. In cities, these measures work to reverse the impact of the urban heat island effect. They reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat, making cities cooler and more sustainable.
Benefits of Energy-Efficient Roofing
The benefits of energy-efficient roofing are deep and far-reaching, more than simply savings on energy bills. It’s a smart investment for Calgary residents, particularly considering the city’s notable temperature fluctuations during all four seasons. Making that sort of investment in your roofing material makes a big difference on your property.
It’s one of the smartest, long-term decisions you can make, for your home and your financial well-being.
One of the greatest benefits of investing in energy-efficient roofing is the lower energy bills. Energy-efficient roofs have a higher solar reflectance and thermal emittance. This design can significantly lower summer cooling expenses by 20 to 30 percent or more.
Using reflective shingles and coatings can reduce roof surface temperatures by up to 10°C. This helps to reduce the burden on air conditioning units. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you’ll save 7 to 15 percent on your utility bills.
That can add up to hundreds of dollars in savings for your home! Cumulatively, these savings are substantial, particularly during Calgary’s hot summer months and cold winters.
These roofs contribute to stable indoor temperatures throughout the seasons. Energy-efficient roofing options will help your home stay cooler during the hot summer months and warmer in the winter. This improves your comfort and reduces the demand for active heating and cooling.
This provides a more pleasant living environment and helps your HVAC system last longer.
The durability of energy-efficient roofing materials is the other top benefit. Less heat and UV exposure means less wear and tear, giving your roof an extended life. This alone can save you thousands of dollars in replacement and maintenance costs throughout the life of your building.
Durable materials such as tiles or reflective coatings help protect your home from Calgary’s brutal sun and ever-changing weather conditions, providing year-round peace of mind.
In addition to the financial and practical benefits, investing in energy-efficient roofing is simply an environmentally responsible choice. By promoting energy savings and using environmentally friendly materials, these roofs contribute to a smaller carbon footprint for your home.
For those homeowners ready to invest in that future, it’s a great place to start.
Finally, energy-efficient roofing is great for your property value. A home with an energy-efficient roof carries more appeal for prospective homebuyers, increasing potential resale value by thousands of dollars.
Taking advantage of energy-efficient roofing is a smart move economically in terms of both immediate and long-term savings.
Types of Energy-Efficient Roofing Materials
Choosing the best possible material for your roof is the most important factor in increasing energy efficiency and withstanding Calgary’s extreme weather conditions. Each material comes with unique advantages, and knowing your options empowers you to make the best decisions possible. Below is a comparison of popular energy-efficient roofing materials:
| Material | Longevity | Efficiency Features | Additional Benefits |
| Cool Roofing | 15-20 years | Reflects sunlight, lowers roof temperatures, reduces cooling costs during summer months | Cuts heat stress on homes |
| Clay Tiles | 50+ years | Retains coolness in summer and warmth in winter due to high thermal mass | Fire and water-resistant, available in colors |
| Asphalt Shingles | 20-30 years | Reflective coatings improve solar reflectance and energy savings | Affordable, versatile |
| Metal Roofing | 40-70 years | Reflects heat, suitable for all seasons, lowers energy bills | Resists hail, fire, wind, snow, and ice |
Cool roofing works wonders when it comes to reflecting solar radiation. This helps to reduce peak heat loads, which in turn lowers energy consumption during Calgary’s hot summer months.
Clay and concrete tiles help keep interiors comfortable by their very nature of controlling temperature extremes. Their durability and fire resistance make them a more reliable option.
Duration Premium Cool asphalt shingles offer a great combination of efficiency and value. When improved with reflective treatments, they are an effective and cost-effective option for homeowners.
For the conservation-minded, metal roofing offers incredible longevity, withstanding Calgary’s extreme weather, from aggressive hailstorms to deep snow. Its reflective properties contribute to energy savings.
Using these options, you can choose a roof that best fits your needs.
Insulation and Reflective Coatings
Proper insulation is key to maximizing energy efficiency by reducing heat transfer. It helps to trap the heat during Calgary’s brutal winters. During the summer, it prevents wasteful heat buildup to help maintain a pleasant indoor environment year-round.
The effectiveness of insulation is measured by its R-value— the higher the R-value, the better the material insulates. Both spray foam and rigid foam boards are great options for flat roofs. For pitched applications, fiberglass batts are the top performer.
The beauty of these materials is that they are both locally accessible and appropriate for Calgary’s climate. Insulating your roof can reduce utility bills by as much as 30%, providing long-term savings. Regular attic insulation re-topping, every 15 to 20 years, delivers dependable performance year after year.
Reflective coatings are a great addition to insulation. Reflective roofing coatings can help reduce roof temperatures in hot, sunny summers. These coatings, which are composed of materials with high solar reflectance, cool down homes and decrease air conditioner usage.
For asphalt roofs, which are prevalent in Calgary, applying reflective coatings can improve the energy efficiency of these relatively affordable roofs. Metal roofs, long considered one of the most durable roofing options, reap the same benefits as other coating systems, providing decades of energy savings when maintained correctly.
When insulation is paired with reflective coatings, energy efficiency is greatly increased. This smart pairing both saves on heating and cooling costs and extends the life of the roof. Together, they provide a sustainable solution that works for Calgary’s unique climate.
Choosing the Right Energy-Efficient Roof
Choosing the right energy-efficient roof for a commercial property in Calgary requires thoughtful attention to a number of different factors. The local climate is important considering Calgary has severe winters and hot summers. Roofing materials with high solar reflectance perform miracles during the hot summer months.
They reflect sunlight, which helps maintain cooler and more comfortable indoor spaces. Metal options, such as aluminum or steel, reflect radiant heat and lower cooling costs by 10-25%. Proper insulation with a high R-value is key to keeping heat from escaping during winter months.
This insulation makes your roof act like a thermos, keeping the temperature inside your home steady year-round. Another major consideration is the initial investment. So, while you might pay more upfront to install the energy-efficient materials, you’ll come out ahead in the long run by lowering your energy bills.
Homeowners need to consider their individual energy priorities and energy goals. For example, if you are most worried about high cooling costs in summer, materials that are formulated for high reflectivity may be appropriate. Conversely, if winter heating efficiency were the priority, one might emphasize the quality of insulation.
Working with knowledgeable, professional commercial roofing contractors will help you find the right fit for your property. They can help you find the right materials for your specific type of building, taking into account Calgary’s building codes and permitting regulations.
Incentives from federal and provincial programs can further offset costs, putting sustainable choices within reach.
Installation and Maintenance Tips
Installing and maintaining energy-efficient roofing in Calgary requires an aggressive mindset. With a good maintenance plan, your roof can withstand the rigors of each season and help you avoid high energy bills. By practicing several key implementation and maintenance practices, durability and efficiency can be improved.
Maintenance and repair is an ongoing process. A little seasonal prevention goes a long way to identify problems right away, such as broken shingles or leaks. Cleaning out gutters and downspouts will ensure they don’t clog up creating areas for water to pool. Effective drainage is essential.
Your eavestroughs should carry water at least four to six feet away from your home to limit water damage. When installed properly, these systems will last 30 to 50 years with little to no maintenance. They increase shade and tree cover and can reduce stormwater runoff by up to 25%.
Hiring experienced talent for installation is just as important. Experienced roofers know exactly where to place materials such as Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, which can withstand hailstorms and more. Double-layered underlayment or an ice-and-water shield provides additional protection from extreme winters.
The longer nails, set at a tighter spacing, make the structure stronger. Add a thicker sheathing of 11.1 mm, and it becomes even more impervious to Calgary’s snowfall and hail.
Regularly reapplying retroreflective coatings every 5–7 years helps keep building energy efficient by maximizing the heat reflection properties of the material. Promptly addressing repairs – caulking, flashing, and general wear – saves energy and improves the lifespan of the roof.
With attention to these key measures, you’ll help extend the life and performance of an energy-efficient roof.
Incentives and Rebates for Energy-Efficient Roofing
Installing an energy-efficient roof is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy use. In addition, it opens the door to other financial incentives in Calgary! Programs such as the Canada Greener Homes Initiative help Canadians save money on sustainable building materials.
This program provides grants specifically intended to insulate a minimum of 20% of the roof assembly. You can get any combination of these grants up to 75% of the maximum grant amounts shown! If you insulate with R-16 insulation, you would qualify for half of $3,800, or $1,900. Yet insulating just 50% of the exterior wall area could bring the grant down to $950, based on funding proportionately.
Homeowners should check out programs in their area that incentivize energy-efficient renovations. These programs help pay for insulating at least 80% of your basement header area. They are powerful tools to help you save on upfront costs.
Here, the maximum grant is still 75% of the amounts listed. Through diligent research and planning, you can discover a wealth of incentives and rebates available to help you reduce your project costs while improving your home’s energy efficiency.
The financial benefits of energy-efficient roofing go further than incentives. The long-term savings, both from lowered utility bills and higher property value, ensure that these upgrades are a worthwhile investment.
Reaching out to local roofing companies can give you guidance on the best financing options available to you and guide you to ones that suit your needs.
Superior Roofing in Calgary
Energy-efficient roofing provides substantial savings and benefits for Calgary homeowners and businesses. It contributes to reducing energy costs, maintaining consistent interiors, and enduring extreme climates. Selecting the best materials for your roof and increasing roof insulation or installing reflective roof coatings, also known as cool roofs, all have a major impact. Browse our extensive selection to find the ideal match for your aesthetic sensibility and budget. Along the way, revel in the joy of energy savings!
Proper maintenance is essential to ensuring that your roof remains in peak condition. Regular inspections and some quick maintenance measures can help your roof last longer and perform better. Apply local rebates and incentives to save on the overall investment and make the upgrade even more valuable.
If you want to get the most out of your energy-efficient roofing in Calgary, Superior Roofing Ltd. We can work together to make permanent, energy-efficient changes.