- Had to re-roof after hail last year—went with “cool” shingles, not Malarkey but similar.
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—that’s been my experience too.“Shingles alone aren’t magic, but sometimes every little tweak helps”
- Didn’t see a massive temp drop, but attic’s definitely less brutal on hot days.
- Insulation + vents did more, honestly. Shingles were just the cherry on top.
- If you’re already tearing off old stuff, might as well upgrade if it fits the budget. Didn’t regret it.
“Shingles alone aren’t magic, but sometimes every little tweak helps”
That’s pretty much how I see it too. I’ve put on a few different “cool” shingles now—Malarkey, GAF, and one of the Owens Corning lines. None of them are going to turn your attic into a fridge, but you do notice it’s not quite as oven-like up there in July. The biggest difference I’ve seen is when folks combine new shingles with better insulation and actually working vents. If you’re just swapping out shingles and leaving old insulation or blocked soffits, you’re not going to get much bang for your buck.
One thing I’d add: color matters more than people think. Even with the “cool” label, a dark shingle will still soak up more heat than a lighter one. I’ve seen some folks go from black to light gray or tan and swear the attic feels 10 degrees cooler, even before touching insulation.
I get what you mean about not seeing a massive temp drop. Sometimes people expect miracles from these products because of marketing, but it’s really about stacking small improvements. Like you said, if you’re already tearing off the old roof after hail or whatever, it makes sense to upgrade if you can swing it. But if money’s tight, I’d put it toward attic insulation or making sure your ridge/soffit vents are actually doing their job first.
Had one customer who did everything at once—new “cool” shingles (Malarkey Highlander), R-49 blown-in insulation, and added two more roof vents. He said his upstairs AC finally kept up for the first time in years. But he also admitted he couldn’t say which part made the biggest difference.
Long story short: Malarkey’s good stuff, but don’t expect miracles from any shingle by itself. It’s all about the combo—shingles, insulation, ventilation...the whole package.
I get what you’re saying about the combo being key, but I actually noticed a bigger difference than I expected just from swapping to lighter “cool” shingles. Our house is a 70s ranch with barely any attic insulation (we’re working on that), and after we replaced the old dark shingles with Malarkey in a light gray, the upstairs bedrooms weren’t nearly as stuffy last August. Maybe it’s different in hotter climates, but for us in the Midwest, even that one change was noticeable. Not life-changing, but enough that my partner stopped complaining about the heat every night... so I’ll call that a win.
Interesting—my experience was pretty similar after switching to lighter shingles, though I was honestly skeptical at first. We’re in central Illinois, and just going from charcoal to a pale gray made the upstairs way less sauna-like. Still think attic insulation is the real game-changer, but every bit helps... especially when it means fewer arguments about the thermostat.
I get the appeal of lighter shingles for heat, but honestly, I’ve seen plenty of attics still roasting even after a color switch. In my experience, the real culprit is usually poor ventilation—ridge vents, soffit vents, that kind of thing. Insulation helps, sure, but if the hot air’s got nowhere to go, it just builds up no matter what color’s on top. Ever checked your venting setup? Sometimes folks overlook that and blame the shingles when it’s really airflow causing the problem.
