Tyler Allwood, Director of Business Development, Eagle Roofing Products
The topic of energy seems to dominate most roofing conversations these days. How can we save more energy on the roof? How much energy can be produced on the roof? Is it more important to save than produce? Whether we like it or not, energy is the future of our industry. This should not come as a big surprise. It is widely accepted that the roof often acts as the largest energy drain in a home or building. At the same time, roofs offer the greatest platform for innovation in energy savings and production.
Concrete and clay tile roofs have a head start on energy savings due to their inherent thermal mass advantage. You or your customers may have experienced this firsthand. I also have heard from homeowners over the years who express dismay after removing a tile roof to install another roofing product with lower thermal mass. Their home is now warmer, and their HVAC system is running more often. These homeowners are experiencing, firsthand, what multiple studies over the years have shown about the energy-saving benefits of high thermal mass products like roof tile. Thermal mass acts to store the sun’s energy throughout the day, slowing conduction into the attic space. Because of this, homes with tile roofs typically stay considerably cooler and their lower maximum temperatures occur later in the day. This means that the home will use less energy for cooling and that the period of maximum energy usage occurs outside of the more expensive and grid-taxing peak. The tile roofing industry is working hard to bring the inherent benefits of concrete roof tile to light while, at the same time, looking at ways to innovate and become as compatible as possible with energy production systems. Read more.
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