Key numbers
77 verified hail storms with stones of 1.75 inches or larger reached Travis County, which includes Austin, from 1984 to 2025 in the storm records we keep; the largest measured 5 inches (softball size) on May 20, 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
| Hail storms by decade, 1984 to 2025 | 1980s: 8, 1990s: 16, 2000s: 24, 2010s: 13, 2020s: 16 Source: NOAA NCEI |
|---|---|
| Largest hail | 5 in. (softball), May 20, 2011 Source: NOAA NCEI |
| Costliest hail storm | $160 million insured losses (2006 dollars), April 20, 2006 Source: Insurance Journal |
| $139 billion | U.S. homeowners spent $139 billion on improvements affecting home energy use in 2023, nearly four times the 2003 amount. Source: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2023 |
| 40% | DOE says insulating window attachments can decrease winter heat loss by 40% or more and summer solar heat gain by up to 60%. Source: U.S. Department of Energy, 2024 |
| 21.29 million | 21.29 million U.S. households described their homes as poorly insulated in 2020, and 3.63 million as not insulated. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2020 |
A storm counts when NOAA lists a report in Travis County. Each hail size is the storm's largest report in the seven Austin-area counties, which may have fallen in a neighboring county, and insured losses cover every area the storm hit.
The City of Austin does not require a cool roof on a house. The 2024 Austin Energy Code, adopted April 10, 2025 and in effect since July 10, 2025, uses roof reflectance for homes in one place: a new home with a vented attic needs a radiant barrier unless its roof has a solar reflectance of 0.50 or higher (0.40 for clay or concrete tile), and an existing home that is reroofed without changing the framing is exempt altogether. Commercial roofs are different: low-slope roofs over cooled space must meet the code’s reflectance table, and steep-slope commercial roofs need a reflectance of at least 0.35 or an initial SRI of 29. For a house, a cooler roof is a choice, and it pays most when your ductwork and air handler sit in the attic.
What Austin’s energy code says about roofs
| Situation | Rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| New house, vented attic | Radiant barrier installed per ASTM C1743 | R402.3 |
| New house with a reflective roof | No radiant barrier if roof solar reflectance is 0.50 or more, or 0.40 or more for clay or concrete tile | R402.3, exceptions 1 and 2 |
| New house, sealed attic, or ducts and equipment fully inside | No radiant barrier | R402.3, exceptions 3 and 4 |
| Reroof on an existing house, framing untouched | No radiant barrier required | R402.3, exception 5 |
| Ceiling insulation, existing buildings | R-38 | Table R402.1.3(1) |
| Commercial low-slope roof over cooled space | Must meet an option in Table C402.4; repairs under the lesser of 50 percent or 2,000 sq ft are exempt | C402.4 |
| Commercial roof steeper than 2:12 | Reflectance of 0.35 or more, or initial SRI of 29 or more | C402.4 |
Two takeaways for homeowners. First, a reroof does not pull you into a cool roof or radiant barrier requirement unless you are rebuilding framing. Second, the code’s own energy model assumes a plain composition shingle roof with a solar reflectance of 0.25 in its reference house, so a builder using the performance path can earn credit by choosing a more reflective roof.
How to read a cool roof rating
The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) tests and lists roofing products; codes and programs set the minimums. Each listing gives:
- Solar reflectance, from 0 to 1. Higher reflects more sunlight.
- Thermal emittance, from 0 to 1. Higher sheds absorbed heat faster.
- Solar Reflectance Index (SRI), which combines the two.
- Initial and three-year aged values. Roofs get dirtier and duller, so the aged number is the honest one. When no aged value exists, CRRC material gives an estimate: aged reflectance = 0.2 + 0.7 × (initial reflectance minus 0.2). A shingle that starts at 0.30 works out to about 0.27 after three years; a metal finish that starts at 0.60 works out to about 0.48.
That second example matters in Austin: a light metal color that tests above 0.50 when new can age below the radiant barrier threshold. Look up the exact product and color in the CRRC Rated Products Directory rather than going by the color name. CRRC notes that cool roofs come in colors from white to black, so a dark color with “cool” pigments can still beat a lighter standard one.
What a cooler roof looks like on an Austin house
- Asphalt shingles. Most standard shingles reflect little sunlight. Owens Corning makes TruDefinition Duration COOL shingles with solar-reflecting granules, built to meet cool roof requirements such as California’s, but its site lists them as limited availability, so ask whether they can be ordered for your address before you plan around them.
- Metal. Light factory finishes on standing seam or exposed-fastener panels are the most practical way for an Austin house to reach high reflectance. See metal roofing in Austin and what a metal roof costs in Austin.
- Tile. Light clay and concrete tile can reach the 0.40 tile threshold in R402.3. Check the rating; tile weight and HOA rules decide more than color does.
- Low-slope sections. A porch roof, addition or flat section over living space can take a white membrane like the one in the photo below, the coolest option there is.
For how color choices look on Austin streets, see the most popular roof colors in Austin, or preview shingle colors in the Owens Corning color selector.
Hail first, then heat
Central Texas hail does not care how reflective your roof is. The Texas Department of Insurance says insurers set their own discounts for impact-rated roofing tested to UL 2218, and a Class 4 roof covering earns the highest premium credit. Owens Corning rates the Duration COOL line Class 3 for impact resistance. So the honest trade in Austin is often a Class 4 shingle in a lighter color versus a cool-rated shingle with a lower impact class. Ask your insurer what each would save before you pick; our Austin asphalt shingle page covers impact-rated options.
Is a radiant barrier worth it in Texas?
The code answers the “do I have to” question: on a reroof without framing changes, no. Whether it is worth it depends on where your air conditioning lives. A barrier and a reflective roof both cut the heat the attic passes to whatever is up there, so they help most when the ductwork and air handler are in a vented attic, and help little when the attic is sealed or the ducts are inside the house.
Before spending on either, check the cheaper fixes Austin Energy already pays for. Its Home Energy Savings rebate for attic insulation is the attic’s square footage × $0.03 × the R-value added, plus a $45 setup fee, for insulating to R-38 on a home at least 10 years old, done by a participating contractor. By that formula, taking a 1,500 sq ft attic from R-19 to R-38 works out to 1,500 × $0.03 × 19 + $45 = $900. Confirm the current terms with Austin Energy before the work starts.
Where the money goes furthest
- Seal and insulate the ductwork in the attic, and bring ceiling insulation to R-38.
- Fix attic ventilation at the roof replacement, so intake and exhaust are balanced.
- Choose the roof color and rating at replacement, comparing aged reflectance and impact class side by side.
- Get HOA approval in writing before ordering a lighter color than your neighbors have.
Plan your next roof for the heat
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. On a free inspection we check the attic, ventilation and where your ducts run, then show you shingle, metal and tile options with their ratings. Financing is available for larger projects. Call our Austin office at (512) 610-5897 or book a free Austin roof inspection, and we will reach out the same business day.
Sources: City of Austin, Ordinance adopting the 2024 Energy Code with local amendments (Council backup, April 10, 2025): sections C402.4, R402.1.3, R402.3 and Table R405.4.2(1); City of Austin, Building Technical Codes; Cool Roof Rating Council and City of Los Angeles, What Is a Cool Roof? (rev. 07/2022); CRRC Rated Products Directory; U.S. Department of Energy, Consumer Guide to Cool Roofs; Owens Corning, TruDefinition Duration COOL Shingles; Texas Department of Insurance, Roofing discounts; Austin Energy, Home Energy Savings.
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