Northern Virginia Home Improvement

Design Pro Home Improvement Information

Saving Energy with a Cool Roof

The residential roofing industry throughout Fairfax and Loudon County, in such towns as Arlington, Leesburg, Manassas and Falls Church, Virginia is cooling off - in a good way - these days as many homeowners consider the benefits of installing a "cool roof" on their homes.

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. Imagine wearing a white or a black T-shirt on a hot day. By wearing the white T-shirt you will remain cooler than if you wore a black T-shirt because it reflects more sunlight and absorbs less heat. Cool roofs like a white T-shirt, keep the internal temperature of the building cooler.

However, a cool roof need not be white. 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.

The two basic characteristics that determine the 'coolness' of a roof are 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.

What are the 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)

In a nut shell, a cool roof can significantly reduce your cooling energy costs and increase your comfort level by reducing temperature fluctuations inside your home. 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.

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Northern Virginia Home Improvement: Replacement Window and Siding Services

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