Warm Roof Or Cold Roof

A cold roof is best when you re initially creating a flat roof and is cheaper than a warm roof but does provide an inferior thermal performance.

Warm roof or cold roof.

What is a warm roof or a cold roof. Whether or not a hot roof is a superior setup depends heavily upon climate homeowner needs and building plans. Namely the insulation layers. A warm roof has many benefits over a cold roof installation.

A flat roof installation due to the warm air being held below the solid surface of the roof does not need to be ventilated. A warm deck roof is much easier to install offers great thermal performance but adds height to the flat roof. A cold deck roof is where the insulation is placed between the joists rafters or in between the ceiling joists in the case of a pitch roof. Basically the term cold roof refers to a traditional roof or vented roof while hot roof refers to a roof that is not ventilated and which has foam insulation attached directly to the roof sheathing.

Ventilation is required for these roofs. The structural deck and the supporting structure are at a temperature close to the interior of the building. In a cold roof the insulation is applied between the rafters but in a warm roof the insulation is applied on top of the existing roof surface. The hot roof assembly is found almost exclusively in new construction.

A warm roof construction has many benefits over a traditional cold roof essentially it is a breathable roof construction which allows moisture to escape which in turn prevents damp and any associated decay problems. The breakdown warm roof vs cold roof a cold flat roof insulation requires more work taking off old boards and replacing them and the roof surface. On flat roofs the insulation layer of a warm roof is usually on the outer surface of the roof structure. You create a warm roof or a cold roof simply by applying the layers of the roof in a different order.

In climates that remain cold for a sustained period unvented roofs can cause more harm than good. Warm roof construction requires that the entire roof construction is encapsulated within the insulation envelope of the building to be kept warm. The thermal efficiency isn t as good as with warm roof insulation. It is more thermally efficient and despite its higher cost of construction lessens overall heating costs thus saving money over the long run.

A warm roof is much more straightforward to install and provides a superior thermal performance and is therefore more costly.