One of the biggest bills that you have to contend with as a homeowner is the cost of heating and cooling your home. Thus, a wise homeowner will do whatever it takes to reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home. One way to do this is by reducing your heat gain. While upgrading your windows can help with this, so can your choice of roofing. For the best savings and a unique style, you should consider installing a green roof. 

What Is Heat Gain?

UV rays will heat up whatever surface they hit. Your roof is exposed to the full assault of the sun's rays all day long. Heat gain is increased when you clad your home with a dark roofing material like asphalt. The tar in asphalt shingles will soak up the sun's rays and then allow that heat to seep into your home. White roofing materials or reflective roofing materials, such as metal, can reflect the sun's rays away from your home and reduce your cooling and heating costs by helping to keep your home cooler, so your AC system does not have to work as hard. 

How Does Green Roofing Help?

The term green usually refers to building materials that help to reduce the amount of energy you use in your home and/or materials that don't put a huge strain on the earth's resources. A green roof takes this philosophy even a step further by covering your roof with grass or other greenery. Such a roof has environmental benefits such as helping o purify the air and retain rain water, but it will absorb all of the sun's energy before it has a chance to heat up your home. This can help to reduce your cooling costs by up to 75%. While you will put a lot of money into installing a green roof, you stand to save more money than you spend. 

Trying out-of-the-box solutions for keeping your home cool can pay you back in all sorts of different ways. Green roofing gives your home a unique look that will help it to stand apart from other home's in your neighborhood or blend into your surroundings. When you consider the advantages that can come from a good green roof, it is worth the extra cost and hassle of setting up the roof. Not all heat enters your home through your roof, but you can still drastically reduce your costs by installing a green roof.

For more information, contact companies like Nebraska Heating & Air.