Three Types of Cool Roofs

Cool roofs fall into one of three categories: roofs made from inherently cool roofing materials, roofs made of materials that have been coated with a solar reflective coating, or green planted roofs. While green roofs are in many ways the best, they are also the most difficult to construct and maintain. Inherently cool roofs like vinyl are relatively easy to install, while the easiest and in this respect the best cool roof is a coated roof.


Inherently cool roofs

White vinyl roofs, which are inherently reflective, achieve some of the highest reflectance and emittance measurements of which roofing materials are capable. A roof made of thermoplastic white vinyl, for example, can reflect 80 percent or more of the sun’s rays and emit at least 70% of the solar radiation that the building absorbs. An asphalt roof only reflects between 6 and 26% of solar radiation, resulting in greater heat transfer to the building interior and greater demand for air conditioning.

Coated roofs

An existing (or new) roof can be made reflective by applying a solar reflective coating to its surface. The reflectivity and emissivity ratings for over 1000 reflective roof products can be found in the CRRC (Cool Roofs Rating Council) website.

Green roofs

Green roofs provide a thermal mass layer which helps reducing the flow of heat into a building. The solar reflectance of green roofs varies depending on the plant types (generally 0.3-0.5).Because of the lower solar reflectance, green roofs reflect less sunlight and absorb more solar heat than white roofs. The absorbed heat in the green roofs is trapped by the greenhouse effect and then cooled by evapotranspiration.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
The Effectiveness of Cool Roofs in Hot and Cold Climates
The Benefits of Cool Roofs
20 Cool Roof Resources from the CRRC and Other Sources
Cool Roof Savings Calculators
Green Buildings Offer Many Benefits
The Extraordinary Growth of Green Building
The Implications of the Growth of Green Buildings
Green Building Environmental Benefits
Green Building Economic Benefits
Green Building Social Benefits
Green Buildings Resouces
Green Buildings Combat Climate Change
Green Buildings Health and Performance Benefits Part 1
Green Buildings Health and Performance Benefits Part 2
Green Buildings: The Many Benefits of Natural Lighting
Green Buildings: The Many Benefits of Ventilation
The Future of Green School Buildings
Top 10 Green Building Trends for 2010
25 Blogs Leading the Sustainable Building Revolution

SHARE

Melili

• 
• 
• 
• 
•