Hi everyone,
We are at colour selection stage for building our forever home on the Sunshine Coast, and would like to hear from people who currently live in, or have lived in, a house with a dark Colourbond roof (for example, Night Sky, Monument, etc.).
In particular, any experiences you can share covering:
- Increased internal room temperature compared to a light colour roof?
- Was any increase in room temperature attributable to other factors, such as dark external cladding or narrow eaves not shielding windows?
- If you built, did you do anything to compensate for a dark roof, such as extra roof insulation or roof cavity ventilation, and how did this go?
- Any increased running time or cost for running air-conditioning / saving in winter heating?
We understand tile roofs are very different (higher mass), and thus we’d like to keep this conversation focused on Colourbond (or other brands of metal roofs).
theres so much that goes into internal temperatures than what youve mentioned. Other factors are orientation, materials, even solar panels have an impact on how much heat is absorbed through your roof.
I appreciate youre trying to get a detailed answer to make a decision bit its's probably best to approach from a common sense and anecdootal position so youre not paralyzed by all the possible data, variables and what your builder can/cant do.
sunshine coast - Warmer more often than not. Lighter roof colour will be more beneficial to your overall year round comfort than a dark roof (all other things being equal).
If you prefer the aesthetics of a darker roof, go for it. its unlikely it will add a significant difference to your hip pocket over the year. if it worries you, get anticon and upgrade the insulation in your external walls, but I'd do that with a lighter roof anyway, which would narrow the difference even further.
That said the basix requirements for sunshine coast will probably differ enough for your home to have to address the solar absorption of darker roof by...you guessed it, addressing the insulation. Or some other factor you could get away with to increase the overall score.
I wouldn't be thinking of efficiencies. Your home will compare to others to meet a standard. If efficiencies and running costs are genuinely concerns for you, you should consider something custom that addresses those factors from teh outset rather than trying to adress them with colour selections at builders colour studio.
upgrade the insulation and choose whatever colours you want. the builder will vent the colourbond roof as standard pretty sure and choose efficient appliances for cooling/heating. Use heavy window treatments and pelmets. You'll be about as efficient as you can be short of building straw bale, rammed earth, into the side of a hill etc.
Thank you Noname, agree with your points. Certainly not overly concerned, but thought it prudent to see if there were lived experiences we can learn from.