COOL ROOFING (Extract from the Cool Roof Rating Council)

What is a Cool Roof?

A cool roof is one that reflects the sun’s heat and emits absorbed radiation back into the atmosphere. The roof literally stays cooler and reduces the amount of heat transferred to the building below, keeping the building a cooler and more constant temperature.

 There are many “cool color” products which use darker-colored pigments that are highly reflective in the near infrared (non-visible) portion of the solar spectrum. With “cool color” technologies there are roofs that come in a wide variety of colors and still maintain a high solar reflectance.

Basic characteristics.

 solar reflectance (SR)

 and thermal emittance (TE).

 (Both properties are rated on a scale from 0 to 1, where 1 is the most reflective or emissive) 

Benefits of a Cool Roof?

There are numerous benefits in having a cool roof:

• Increase ecological sustainability factor, or make your house “greener” by:
• Reducing your utility bills associated with air conditioning
• Increasing occupant comfort and avoid installing an air conditioner where there isn’t already one
• Decreasing the size and prolong the life of your air conditioning system
• Lowering roof maintenance costs and extend roof life, avoiding reroofing costs and reducing solid waste  
• Assist your home in meeting building codes
• Mitigate your community's Urban Heat Island Effect
• Maintain aesthetics with a roof that performs and looks good
• Receive utility rebates (in some locations)

  Average energy savings range from 7%-15% of total cooling costs. 

When people think about making their home more “green” or ecologically sustainable, cool roofing isn’t always the first thing to come to mind.  However, certain green building programs, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED, give credit for installing a cool roof.  So if you are trying to save energy or make your home more environmentally-friendly, a cool roof is one way to achieve that goal. 

 For more information visit    http://www.coolroofs.org

Hope this information helps you to decide the type of roof that fulfill your needs.

keep on reading our blog we'll have great things coming shortly, see you in our next post... and remember that an excellent job done starts with "Q" of Quality.  www.saqualitymetals.com