Your roof may help you save on energy costs.

About $40 billion is spent each year to keep us cool. That's about one-sixth of all electricity generate in the U.S., according to Energystar. The material you choose for your roof can help reduce that cost.

The Energy Education Council outlines how your home's roof type and color can affect energy costs. 

• Choose Energy Star-certified roof products that reflect more of the sun’s rays, which can lower the roof surface temperature by up to 50° F. In general, this keeps a structure cooler and helps reduce the demand for air conditioning.
• Choose a light color. Light-colored roofing material can be 50° to 60° degrees cooler than a conventional dark-colored roof.
• Add more buffer. A poorly insulated roof will require more air conditioning in the summer and more heating in the winter. Even if you have insulation, it may not be enough.
• Treat slate and clay (ceramic) tiles with reflective coatings; the lighter the color, the better. Clay can’t be used everywhere since it can crack in certain weather conditions like hailstorms.
• Although metal sounds counter intuitive since it heats up in the summer and can be hot to the touch, metal roofs can be treated with reflective coatings and purchased in lighter colors.

The type of roofing materials that are best for your home depends on climate, home design, location, your home’s efficiency, among other factors.