Energy Saving Roofs

Pitt’s Roofing offers customers a way to save both money and the environment. A commercial roofing system that offers high solar reflectance (the ability to reflect many solar wavelengths, reducing the transfer of heat into the building) and high thermal emission (the ability to radiate solar energy) is considered cool roof. Most cool roofs are either white or another light color.

A majority of the roofs in the world (90% of roofs in the US) are a dark-color.  The hot summer sun can increase the temperature of these black roofs by as much as 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  This means the roof can reach searing temperature of 150 to 190 degrees.

Cool roofs are a great alternative to bulky attic insulation underneath the roofs in areas of humid topical and subtropical climates.  In fact, cool roofs that reflect solar radiation and provide heat emission can replace bulk insulation entirely.  It is crucial that roofs both reflect and emit heat, and it is important that cool roof materials perform both in the visible spectrum (which requires reflection) and the infrared spectrum (which requires emission).

Cool roofs are also a geoengineering technique.  They are used to tackle global warming issues.  They do this by managing solar radiation (as long as the materials reflect solar energy and emit infrared which helps cool the planet).  Cool roofs can also reduce the need for air-conditioning in a building. Air conditioning systems contribute to CO2 emissions, which are responsible for global warming trends.   For these reasons, cool roof materials are worth pursuing as an energy saving and environmentally friendly roofing option.