Importance Of White Roofs

Light colored materials reflect heat while dark roofs such as those made of asphalt and tar absorb heat driving up air conditioning consumption in order to offset it.

Importance of white roofs.

Greg luna is president of luna associates provider of products and services to commercial building roofing contractors specifiers and owners. From leed the cool roof rating council and energy star program all the way up to the u s. Department of energy there is widespread belief that white reflective roofing systems even on buildings in northern cities like new york and chicago are more efficient and more cost effective than dark roofing and that these systems also reduce global warming and the heat island effect in which dark colored building materials raise the ambient temperature in urban areas by a few degrees in summer. A home with a white roof maintains a temperature cooler than that of the outside air.

If you re in a very cold climate your roof if probably covered by reflective white snow for most of the winter regardless. He is a member of csi. The heating penalty associated with white roofs and the importance of geographic climate are important issues of which american building owners need to be aware. White roofs are better for your heating bill and the planet.

White roofs are becoming quite popular these days as they come with a number of benefits. The secret is in the design of their houses and particularly the white stepped roof which is still in use 400 years after it was first introduced. White roofs reflect a tremendous amount of the sun s rays. White roofs keep roof temperatures low and can help you save money and energy.

However insulating underlayment does the bulk of the work as far as keeping temperatures down is concerned. When your black roof is absorbing heat your home is also absorbing heat especially during the summer when we are depending on air conditioning to cool down our homes. A british visitor to bermuda will feel instantly. So in other words installing a roof that is white or reflective helps save energy and money.

There is an effect known as a. So what does this mean for you. By absorbing less sunlight than either green or black roofs white roofs offset a portion of the warming effect from greenhouse gas emissions. White roofs are more reflective than green roofs reflecting roughly three times more sunlight back into the atmosphere and therefore absorbing less sunlight at earth s surface.

It has long been known that installing white roofs helps reduce heat buildup in cities.