How Cool Roof Works

The right underlayment for your roof will keep moisture cold weather and stifling summer air out giving your roof a longer life.

How cool roof works.

How cool roofs work traditional dark colored roofing ma terials absorb sunlight making them warm in the sun and increasing the need for air conditioning. You can usually make a new or existing roof cool by selecting the appropriate surface. A higher albedo means that a roof has a higher ability to reflect the sun s rays and thus reflects more sunlight than traditional roofs. Compared to traditional roofs a reflective roof has a high albedo or solar reflectance.

Cool roofs reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than traditional roofs. Roof temperature is rated via solar reflectance and thermal emittance with ratings ranging between 0 and 1. White or special cool color roofs absorb less sunlight stay cooler in the sun and transmit less heat into the building. This lowers urban air temperatures and mitigates the urban heat island effect.

Traditional dark colored roofing materials strongly absorb heat from sunlight making them warm in the sun and heating the building. This results in lower absorption of solar heat and a cooler roof. It begins with the rafters and continues on in layers of protection that prevent water and the wind from damaging your home. The surface of a cool roof reflects more sunlight and releases more heat than a so called hot or dark roof.

It also slows the formation of ground level ozone and smog. A cool roof is a roof designed to maintain a lower surface temperature in bright sunshine than a traditional roof source. Historically cool roofs have been either white or some other lighter shade color. On the other hand cool roofs stay cooler in the sun and transmit less heat into the building.

Whereas darker traditional roofing materials absorb sunlight the reflective surfaces of a cool roof reflect it away. There are many types of roof systems available but the surface exposed to the sun is the one that determines if a roof is cool or not. Cool roofs reduce the thermal radiation of heat into the atmosphere convection of heat into outside air and the conduction of heat into the building. Coatings are like very thick paints that can protect the roof surface from ultra violet uv light and chemical damage and some offer water protection and restorative features.

Many have anti slip technology to protect the people who install the roof and they can be exposed for up to six months while the roof gets built. On top of the rafters your roof has plywood followed by sheathing a material that s designed to protect your home from moisture. How your roof works your roof is not just made up of a few shingles.