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Unpopular opinion: white roofs are a total scam in the high desert, not a savings
I had to pick between a reflective white coating and a traditional dark shingle for my Tucson house last summer, and after 18 months of tracking my bills, I'm convinced the white roof actually made my HVAC run longer in the winter, so who else has seen this backfire or am I missing something?
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simonk9812d ago
My buddy Kevin out in Las Cruces put a white cool roof on his place back in 2020. He was bragging about it that first summer, said his AC barely kicked on during the day. Then winter hit and his gas bill jumped almost 40 bucks a month compared to his old dark shingles. He said the house just felt cold all the time, like the sun was hitting the roof but none of that heat was making it inside. Last I heard he was looking into those radiant barrier paints for the inside of his attic to try and keep some warmth in during the cold months.
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cameron_hernandez6912d ago
Forty bucks a month sounds like a lot for a minor roof color change. Most people I know in desert climates say the summer savings on AC totally outweigh the winter bump, which is usually pretty small. Kevin might just be dealing with bad attic insulation to begin with.
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fionafoster12d ago
That 40 bucks a month Kevin saw in Las Cruces is pretty mild compared to what my neighbor in Phoenix reported - his gas bill shot up nearly $75 a month the first winter after switching to a white cool roof. Those reflective coatings are designed to bounce away solar radiation year round, not just in summer, which means you're actively rejecting free heat during the winter months when you actually want it. The summer savings on AC are real but they get eaten alive by the longer more expensive heating season in places like Tucson that actually get cold at night.
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