One of the hardest choices to make when upgrading your patio area is which type of room or awnings to choose and what type of roof do you choose? A patio room or outdoor entertainment room usually has two options, insulated roofing, or single skin roofing.
What is an Insulated patio roof panels
Insulated roof panels consist of metal or aluminum panels with steel skins and an insulating foam core. This core adds a layer of insulation which increases the energy efficiency. Insulated roofs are high-quality and ready to assemble options for the homeowner interested in a clean, professional looking finished product at a fraction of the cost.
Why insulate a roof on an outdoor space?
An insulated roof will help you keep heat away from your patio. And that will make your patio much more comfortable than it’s ever been.
An insulated patio roof will:
Look better
Add more value to your home
Keep you in touch with the outdoors
Shade completely
Shed rain, and in most cases, channel drainage so it doesn’t splatter
Prevent heat from penetrating the roof and reaching the patio
Safely conceal electrical cabling for ceiling lights and fans
High-End Appearance of Insulated Roofing
An insulated roof looks more luxurious and high end. They have factory-finished aluminum facing on the top and on the underside. That means your view when sitting or standing on your patio is neat and uncluttered because of the 3-mil powder coat applied to it.
These roof panels are weather-sealed and provide a strong thermal and moisture barrier. Our engineered roof panel joints provide protection from wind, rain and moisture and allow aesthetic integration of different profile types. They make the roof panels 3 to 6 inches thick.
A pan roof has a less finished look, with the pan roof sections either corrugated or creased to add rigidity. They may be painted or unfinished. Because of the more permanent, more finished look of insulated patio roofing, you can expect that an insulated roof will retain more of its value than a pan roof.
Keep in Touch with the Outdoors
Under an insulated patio roof, you’ll still feel much cooler than if you were in the sun. The sides are open, so you’ll have a view of the lawn and garden, and you’ll even smell the blooms.
An insulated roof panel in summer will reflect a lot of the heat, keeping your area cooler for longer. This can make a big difference to comfort and cost savings. If you are planning on enclosing a room, heating and cooling costs need to be considered.
Ceiling Like appearance
The flat underside of an insulated roof gives the appearance of a traditional ceiling. The flat, clean finish can make an added room appear to be an extension of the existing house.
Deep Shade Cools
An insulated roof shades completely and deeply. The shade itself lowers patio temperatures by preventing the concrete pad from acting as a heat sink. Although the air may be the same temperature as it is beyond the patio, the patio itself will feel 10-15 degrees cooler than if it were exposed to the sun. Heat will not radiate through the insulated roofing panels as it would a non-insulated aluminum roof.
Solid Roofs Protect from Rain
An insulated roof is solid from front to back and from side to side. Insulated roofing panels interlock, and the joints between panels are sealed to discourage leaks. A properly designed and executed insulated roof will carry the rain away and deposit the water into a drainage system in the end caps. The gutter system is completely, stylishly hidden but totally effective at preventing splatters.
Hiding Electrical Lines
Some insulated patio roof panels are engineered to safely carry and hide electrical lines from view. That means your contractor can run lines to a ceiling fan or ceiling light, but you’ll never see the electrical cables, as you might on a wooden structure. Extending the lines to a switch makes operation easy. Installation of fans and lights that are remote–controlled add convenience.
Because the cavity can be used to add wiring and fixtures, an insulated room can have lights and ceiling fans installed. This is one of the biggest bonuses of the insulated roof, with many customers installing LED down-lights to light the entertainment area of an evening.
You might also want to have ground-fault outlets installed, to power hot plates, slow cookers, an outdoor refrigerator, and phone/laptop chargers.
Disadvantages of Insulated Patio Roofs
Color choices may be limited. Aluminum patio roofs typically come in white, off-white, or beige. There’s the cost compared with non-insulated aluminum pan roofing. You’ll pay perhaps 30 percent more for insulated aluminum roof panels than for thin aluminum pan roofing. Once you feel the comfort delivered by the insulated roof, however, you’re bound to decide the upgrade to insulated roof panels is worthwhile.
