How do you build a cool roof?
Owning and managing a commercial-size structure takes a considerable amount of money, especially when it comes to cooling, heating, and maintenance. This is why more and more commercial structure owners are having a cool roof installed.
Benefits of a cool roof?
The humidity coupled with the temperatures here in the Orlando Florida area makes for hot summers in the summer, and a cool roof in the summertime is, well cooler. There are many other cool roof benefits too though that have attracted the attention of commercial building owners.
A cool roof consists of highly effective materials in reflecting the sun’s energy. When a cool roof is installed on a flat or low-sloped roof in white, with high emissivity, it emits infrared energy and keeps the interior of the building cooler. A cool roof reduces the temperature of the roof surface by as much as 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
With that reduction in heat being transferred inside a building, this reduces energy costs too. With a cooler building, customers and employees are comfortable and not adjusting the thermostat. Other cool roof benefits you can expect are:
- Savings on power consumption reduce summer cooling costs.
- Save peak demand with a time-of-use meter.
- Reduce roof maintenance and extend the roof lifespan.
- Increase indoor comfort with reduced infrared conversion.
- Reduction of contributing to the heat island effect.
- Air pollution and smog contribution is reduced.
- Landfill waste of roofing material waste is reduced.
Additionally, with cool roof and waterproofing systems, in areas like Florida where the atmosphere is moist and warm, a cool roof is less likely to be attacked by algae and mold.
What are cool roofs made of?
A commercial structure gains most of its heat through the windows. However, eliminating any heat gain through the roof has proven to be a cost-effective way to reduce the cooling load on the HVAC system. This can be achieved by having a cool roof installed.
With a cool roof, there is less variation in the temperature which in turn, extends the lifespan of the roof. Thermal stress on a conventional roof from the contracting and expanding causes roofs to crack, which makes them susceptible to leaking. Installing a cool roof will prevent that contracting and expanding, easing the stress on the roof.
There are two properties of a cool roof that will maintain lower temperatures, emissivity, and reflectance. The emissivity indicates the amount of heat being emitted from the roof surface into the environment. The reflectance is the absorber.
Is a black roof hotter?
We need to remember that the majority of commercial structures are 100 times, even 1000 times larger than a typical residential structure. Therefore, the roof is a larger surface and when that roof is covered in black, yes, it is definitely going to be hotter than a white or another light color.
Black commercial roofs are often covered in an EPDM or rubber materials which are warm roofs. Not only is it black, but it is made of rubber, and both together are going to absorb heat.
What color roof reflects the most heat?
Selecting a commercial roofing material in light colors of beige, light gray, and white will give your roof the most UV-reflective ability on hot, strong sunny days. It will have less contraction and expansion, giving it a longer life.
For the most heat reflectance, white is the most recommended as the best of all colors. A light-colored roof is considered cool roofing when it is made of cool roof materials, i.e. highly reflective of 85% incident solar radiation versus the 20% reflectiveness of a conventional roof surface.
Which is more energy-efficient, cool roof vs insulation?
While roof insulation will help with keeping cooling costs down, a cool roof has proven to do a better job. However, using both, a well-insulated cool roof is a money saver for anyone that owns, rents, or maintains a commercial structure.
Do Cool Roofs work?
Definitely! A cool roof is designed to reflect the sun’s UV rays, absorbing less heat, a great benefit for commercial structures in Florida. The climate and geographics of being in the Orlando area are set up for being warm.
A cool roof made of highly reflective paint, rubber, the sheet covering, or tiles, will stay cooler by 50 degrees Fahrenheit. A money saver on energy bills and stretching the lifespan of the HVAC system too. Just in the winter when a building is too cold and employees call in sick, the same can be happening when your building is too warm. If your business depends on customers spending time inside your structure, you want comfortable and cool roofs that will do just that.
For a commercial building owner or the maintenance staff in charge of roofing, it is time to get a quote on a cool roof installation. The initial cost may be a little higher, but the overall savings each month will repay that cost. Call (407) 298-0100 today for your cool roofing needs in Longwood and Orlando, FL.