When the sun beats down on a black tar roof, the result is not unlike an oven. Temperatures can climb to as high as 190 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface of traditional dark colored roofs, and the suns rays are absorbed and the heat is transmitted to the rest of the building. The nearly 200 degrees of blistering heat on the roof can be dispersed throughout the entire structure raising the internal temperature by at much as fifteen degrees. The time-tested solution of the last fifty years has been to simply pump enough air conditioning into the upper floors of the structure to counteract the heating. It works, but at enormous cost and with no efficiency.
That's why the switch to cool white-colored high reflective commercial roofing systems is becoming an incredibly popular choice among business owners, architects, and builders. Simply put: a white roof with high reflection equals a greener building. It comes down to whether or not the roof is going to absorb the heat of the sun's rays or reflect them. Just like wearing a white shirt on a hot day helps keep you cooler than wearing a dark shirt, making your roof white via reflective membranes or painting it will reflect light and the heat that comes with it.
White-roofed buildings have been shown to save 15 to 20 percent on air conditioning expenses during the summer. This is because a white roof can cut out up to 10 percent of daily energy usage. When a building is forced to succumb to urban heat island effect, this can mean thousands upon thousands of dollars saved every year. But the benefits aren't strictly for the businesses underneath such roofs. Since white roofs reduce the amount of power a building uses, they ultimately help reduce the level of greenhouse gases that building is responsible for emitting into the atmosphere every year.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 90 percent of American roofs are dark colored. If more people switched to white roofs, the urban heat island effect could be significantly reduced as would energy usage and waste in general. Builders and businesses in the position to paint existing roofs or build a new one should seriously consider the implementation of cool white roofing. It's one of the cooler ways to save a buck and go green at the same time.
Photo Credits: Sarey*
Originally posted 2011-07-27 20:28:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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