Some people have heard that having a lighter colored shingle roof helps keep your house cooler and helps lowers your energy bill; while this is somewhat true, the actually cooling effect isn’t significant. A lighter shingle roof is between 4 and 7 degrees cooler than a dark roof. That difference doesn’t have a big effect on the overall temperature of a roof since a roof can heat up to 120+ degree’s Fahrenheit.

The main element that makes a difference to reducing heat from coming through your roof surface is to properly insulate a homes roof. Roofs that are properly insulated have almost identical performance with a lighter colored shingle roof and a darker colored shingle roof.

When it comes to choosing your roof color, you should choose the color that you want and will compliment the rest of your home. Your roof makes up a big part of your home is one of the most visible elements. Choosing a color that you want is more important than reducing the temperature by a few of degrees.