How Cool Roofing Works

How your roof works your roof is not just made up of a few shingles.

How cool roofing works.

While the term cool roof is sometimes used to describe any roofing surface that is cooler than a standard rooftop green certification programs such as leed energy star the u s. It is an eco friendly paint which upon application to cementaceous asbestos or ms roofing increases the emissivity of that surface which results in reflection of heat energy. Whereas darker traditional roofing materials absorb sunlight the reflective surfaces of a cool roof reflect it away. On the other hand cool roofs stay cooler in the sun and transmit less heat into the building.

Cool roofs are designed to lower the temperature of your home in summer months making you more comfortable and potentially reducing your energy bill. Today there are many options for roofing underlayment materials rubberized asphalt to organic fiberglass to synthetic. This results in lower absorption of solar heat and a cooler roof. Nearly any type of building can benefit from a cool roof but consider the climate and other factors before deciding to install one.

It begins with the rafters and continues on in layers of protection that prevent water and the wind from damaging your home. Cool roofs achieve this by reflecting some of the infrared ir light from the sun. Solar reflectance ability to reflect sunlight. Green building council and the department of energy building technology program base their respective cool roof credentials on a roofing material s ability to reflect the sun solar reflectance and release absorbed heat emissivity.

Roof temperature is rated via solar reflectance and thermal emittance with ratings ranging between 0 and 1. Reflective metal roofing may also cool high slope roofs. The coolness of a roof is determined by two properties of roofing materials and their combined effects on temperature. Thermal emittance ability to cool down by emitting heat that is absorbed.

Cool paint is made of highly reflective type of paint by emissivity aqueous coating based on acrylic resins. The heavy mass of cool roof shingles and tiles can also provide some degree of thermal protection by absorbing and blocking heat during the day and releasing heat throughout the night. Cool roof shingles and tiles. Cool roof shingles tiles and slate may be coated with special granules to give them better solar reflectance.

A cool roof is a roofing system that delivers higher solar reflectance the ability to reflect the visible infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths of the sun reducing heat transfer to the building and higher thermal emittance the ability to radiate absorbed or non reflected solar energy than standard designed roofing products. The right underlayment for your roof will keep moisture cold weather and stifling summer air out giving your roof a longer life.