Are Black Shingles Really Hotter Than Light Shingles?

[@JR-kk6ce]

I'm in Florida. Had a house with tile, painted white. Changed to black shingle after Hurricane. I found close to a 15-degree increase in the house, not the attic. So, don't kid yourself.

[@Gzluweez]

I’ve seen an attic instrumented and the number one variable in heat was color and location in attic. Plus this is a classic black body physics problem. Yes it will heat your attic, a lot. Put on a black shirt and sit in the sun.

[@epg423]

Plus a ton of houses don't have attics. Attics get hot as heck even with vents. White roof makes a super massive difference but of like they said there aren't any White shingles. Still lighter will be more efficient.

[@dus10dnd]

10F difference in an attic is actually a huge difference.

[@marinetechknj]

Especially considering all the AC flex duct in Florida is installed in the attic with an r6 insulation. So yes, an additional 10 degree delta is huge. My attic reaches 145 degrees here in Florida with the dew point at 98 degrees.

[@damon-burton]

I'm surprised that the difference in temperature between dark and light shingles isn't as significant as I thought. That's a great breakdown of roofing materials in hot climates.

[@synonys]

No talked about HVAC or ductwork in the attic. A hotter attic means higher temps coming out of the AC ducts.

[@kc1776]

Hey! Thanks for the wonderful videos. Question for you, our AC guy said it’s bad news to install an attic fan because it will pull in more humid air than what’s in the attic and create condensation or conditions for mold and mildew. We are in Tampa Bay where it’s extremely humid most of the year. We are going to replace our roof this year as the last hurricane did a number on it. Thanks again!

[@beammeupscottsp7952]

So we live in Wesley Chapel Florida an hour north of Tampa, house was built in 2004 and code is r 30 insulation. Since it’s been 20 years we are thinking of adding more and getting it to r-49. What do you guys think?

[@homesteadroofing]

I think that's a good idea

[@marinetechknj]

I live in Saint lucie. My house was built in 03, and I found they only installed r-13 in my attic, and all the insulation on the knee walls just fell down. I still can't believe it!

[@kjisnot]

Years ago I was informed reddish-brown shaded shingles reflected the most infrared and were cooler. Any thoughts? Also if black shingles are subjected to higher temps would they not degrade faster over time negatively affecting the lifespan?

[@allaboutroofing2]

Red absorbes heat the same as another color with the same darkness. White is the most reflective and the coolest and also why they are energy star rated. I believe you were mislead about the red. Just Google what colors are most reflective.

[@homesteadroofing]

It hasn't been my experience that darker shingles wear out faster - at least not here in Colorado which is where I am.

[@daustonian9331]

Logic says a dark shingle, especially in a state like Florida, will deteriorate faster due to the heat retention in a hot state. In a state with snow, the dark should help shed snow faster, whatever that’s worth. Igloos are at least at 32F!

[@renurenovationsllc7780]

Last September I removed light green shingle from my Dads roof, we installed Midnight Black. We fixed the ventilation , and the attic temperatures dropped DRAMATICALLY, even with the black. Get the ventilation right and the attic vents out 10 times per hour. Statistically 90% of houses in the U.S. are improperly vented. Fix that and insulation no color worries.!!!! Paint on reflective shingles and metal will oxidize, reducing the reflective qualities to basically nothing. If the attic is vented properly, you should be around 15 degrees warmer than ambient temperatures on a sunny afternoon.

[@renurenovationsllc7780]

Do not do multiple types of ventilation though. It always works against each other, messing up the flow.

[@machintelligence]

Try walking on a dark roof vs a light roof. How about putting recording or remote thermometers in attics for comparison? A friend replaced a shake roof with a dark composition roof and cooling with a whole house fan was no longer adequate. He had to install A/C.

[@homesteadroofing]

It doesn't sound like you watched the video We own roofing companies. Of course we walk dark roofs and light roofs. All the time If you had watched the video you would have seen that insulation and ventilation is what keeps the attic heat from transferring to the house. Your friend probably didn't have adequate insulation.