Recently I had ads showing up on my Facebook newsfeed promoting metal shingle roofs and how they are the be all end all. Well that was fine until some of the ads stated they save up to 25% energy costs to homeowners and add value to your home when you go to sell. Well I hate to tell you but it adds zero to your home value and in most cases detracts. As for saving energy see my reply to them below which I placed on their FB feed.
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Side note: Well first off I have no issue with what someone wants to promote or sell but the facts of energy savings and home value is a big stretch. (note that my comments are for the Prince George BC area). The letter below is what I posted to the manufacturer's FB feed as the facts were not being explained.
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"Ok let me explain how a roof system works. You have drywall on the ceiling of your home inside, above that is usually plastic poly as a vapor barrier and then insulation. It is the insulation and only that amount of insulation that prevents, reduces heat loss from inside your home up through the ceiling into your attic. Likewise it is insulation that also prevents, reduces that air temperature in your attic from entering your home down through the ceiling. Now, that attic or air space above the insulation below the shingle roof ideally should be at or below outside air temperature regardless if its -20c or +20c. The way you deal with the temperature of the attic space is through ventilation which means having proper airflow from your soffits (not restricted by insulation) and a bunch of $20 (approx.) vents put on your roof or better yet ventilation ridge cap. If you attic is too hot it is lacking ventilation.
Shingles of any kind are only to repel water, snow and solar heat but it’s the insulation and ventilation that can reduce energy costs and that can be done for a very nominal fee. That’s it. Not very sexy but those are the facts.
A side note: As for metal roofs of all kinds the problem is in spring time or during the warm days of winter when one side of your home has more sunlight it heats up the metal and the snow slides off one side usually ripping off you gutters and crushing anything else below. But the biggest problem is you now have a home with no snow on one side of you roof and a bunch on the other side which creates huge uneven stress loads on the roof truss system."
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