Warm Roof Vs. Cold Roof Differences

March 1st, 2022.

Traditionally the most common roof build would be a cold roof. This is where insulation is installed in between the rafters of a roof, which means the buildup of the roof does not need to be so high.

So why is it called a cold roof? Although most of the roof is insulated, the roof structure (rafters – timber) are uninsulated. This means that on a cold day the cold with conduct through the timber roof rafters and into the property below. If you were to look at a cold roof on a thermal imagining camera you would see where the roof rafters are. This is become wooden rafter conduct heat much better than insulation, which is called thermal bridging.

A warm roof can be a more simple construction method in most cases. It offers a better thermal value vs. a cold roof. As apposed to insulating between the rafters, the warm roof insulation is simply installed on top of the existing surface. If the roof structure is still in good order insulation can be laid straight on top with adhesive and finished with the new roofing system.

The warm roof system ensures the whole roof structure is insulated and therefore the building achieving a lower U value, thus reducing the cost of heating your home.