Metal Roof Electricity

The answer has to do partially with how the roof is installed.

Metal roof electricity.

Metal roofs and lighting. Metal roofs on the other hand reflect the sun s heat away from a building leading to energy savings of about 50 percent and they can be about 100 degrees cooler on the surface than traditional asphalt roofs source. There is a perception or at least a suspicion that a metal roof will increase the likelihood of lightning striking the building. In the study the metal roofing was attached with a batten counter batten system that allows airflow underneath.

Old style roofs tend to absorb the sun s rays causing your air conditioner to work harder in order to maintain a nice cool temperature in your home. The short answer is no you don t have to ground a metal roof and you will incur no additional risk if you don t ground it in most circumstances. The lighter the color the better but even darker colors will be better than shingles. These low maintenance long lasting roofs offer different features that aid energy efficiency and can cut utility costs in different ways.

One way to reduce your electricity bill is to consider replacing your old tile or asphalt roof with a new metal roof. A shingle roof also weakens and curls over time making it less of a full proof barrier for the effects of rain wind and other environmental forces and necessitating roof maintenance and earlier replacement. The federal government even offers a 30. Metal conducts electricity but when you are dealing with a full roof a lightning strike would ground out through the rest of the structure without causing damage or harm to the interior.

Department of energy and conducted by the oak ridge national laboratory shows why metal roofs promote energy conservation in the home. Some metal shingles interlock with the shingles both above and below creating a roof that is very strong against high winds. The reflective nature of metal allows makes of the sun s heat to bounce off rather than be absorbed called reflective metal roofing. After all metal is highly conductive just like the materials used in lightning rods that are used to attract lightning strikes so doesn t it stand to reason that the metal roof will attract lightning too.

Yes metal roofing will save on electric especially in hot climates. It has been observed that installing a metal roof makes building owners think more about lightning and the dangers of lightning strikes. The most durable but costly option is to have a metal roof installed. A study funded by the u s.

In reality when lightning strikes it is seeking a path to ground and almost always will strike whatever object is highest in the area that also has a direct path to ground. The misconception that metal roofs attract lightning is probably because metal itself is known as a good conductor of electricity and people therefore assume that a metal roof must attract lightning.