Warm Or Cold Flat Roof

If you have been considering a new roof installation looking into adding insulation to your home or are planning to build a new house you may have heard people talk about hot roof and cold roof systems.

Warm or cold flat roof.

What is a warm roof or a cold roof. You create a warm roof or a cold roof simply by applying the layers of the roof in a different order. Inverted roofs are a type of warm flat roof where the insulation is above the waterproofing layer. The object being to design out the possibility of warm moisture laden air coming into contact with a cold surface and condensing.

Warm roof insulation ensures the entire roof structure is insulated meaning a warm deck roof is more energy efficient than a cold roof. However you may not be familiar with these concepts particularly what they mean and the pros and cons of each. 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. Your two main options for effective insulation of your property are a cold flat roof or warm flat roof design.

The breakdown warm roof vs cold roof. This means that the insulation should be highly resistant to water absorption for example an extruded polystyrene based product which will not be affected by water or repeated freeze thaw cycles. 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. Guidance advice on warm cold roofs www cncbuildingcontrol gov uk continuous 5mm gap at ridge.

A cold flat roof insulation requires more work taking off old boards and replacing them and the roof surface. A warm roof is much more straightforward to install and provides a superior thermal performance and is therefore more costly. Warm roof construction requires that the entire roof construction is encapsulated within the insulation envelope of the building to be kept warm.