People commonly associate metal roofs with colder climates. Take a ride through a state like Vermont – and your landscape changes quickly. Gone are the ornate, classic New England roofs you’d find in Massachusetts and before you is house after house with a metal roof. We think snow, sturdy, all of it.

But metal roofs are not only practical in warm weather environments – they’re becoming increasingly popular in them, too. Just taking a stroll around the Clearwater area where we’re based out of – and you’ll see metal roofs popping up almost every other block.

Why is this and is it a passing fad or something you should seriously consider?

The first reason people like metal roofs in warm climates is the same reason they like them in cold ones – metal roofs are durable. Not only can they take a pounding from the cold stuff – but they fend off a lot of hazards in warmer climates as well. They don’t break and crack under the pressure of a more intense sun. They can endure extreme amounts of sunlight and not wear in color. They’re also built tough to withstand more extreme situations like hurricanes and storm damage. Simply put, they don’t fall victim to the leaks and wind that other systems do.

The second reason is fire safety. In warm climates like ours, roofing materials tend to dry out and lose much of their fire resistance. This simply isn’t the case with metal – which creates a long lasting barrier against airborne sparks, extreme heat and the like.

Energy efficiency is another reason metal roofs are so popular. In warm climates, you frequently have to stay cool – and staying cool often means running you’re a/c constantly. That means higher electrical bills and if your house isn’t particularly efficient and keeping the cool inside – living in places like this can get pricey. Metal roofs insulate better and beat back the heat even better than that. Which means you’ll stay cooler and spend less.

The last major consideration people have been making is the overall cleanliness of metal roofing systems. Sounds a little silly on its face – after all we don’t usually think of roofs as a source of grime – but in places like Florida, it’s an important consideration.

Many roofing materials will present long, nasty black streaks in particularly humid areas. This is algae. Not only is it a fungus, but it can do an incredible amount of damage to your roof if you’re not careful. Metal roofs don’t maintain the moisture and prove to be an unfriendly home for a lot of these baddies. Not only does it make your home look better – but shores up areas of the structure we wouldn’t otherwise consider.