Cool Roofing Systems

The City of Chicago has been recognized for its commitment to “green” roofing technology for some time.  They launched a Green Roof Grants Program that allows building owners to qualify for a $5000 grant to help convert their “regular” roofing systems to “green” roofing systems.

The City of Chicago also launched the Cool Roofs Program.  This program allows building owners to apply for grants that help covert “normal” roofing systems to “cool” roofing systems.  A “cool” or reflective roofing system described by the Cool Roof Council is as follows:

“Cool roofs are characterized by their ability to reflect and radiate a high percentage of the sun’s solar flux. This helps prevent the transmittance of heat into the building and the heating of its surroundings, known as “heat island” effect. Cool roofs have been confirmed to be up to 60° degrees Fahrenheit cooler than conventional dark colored roofs.”

Some of the benefits of cool roofing systems described by the Cool Roofing Council are as follows:
“The roof system of a building is an area where significant heat gain occurs, in particular on relatively flat exposures to the sun’s position during the warmest period of the day.  Dark colored roof surfaces can also contribute significantly to the urban heat island effect and smog formation, leading to increased air pollution. Reflective, light colored.  Cool roofs can not only help reduce cooling costs, but can also have a positive environmental impact by reducing the urban heat island effect. Light colored roof materials and coatings are advantageous over dark colors because of their ability to reflect and radiate energy away from the roof.”

After seeing success with both programs in Chicago the City of New York also decided to get on board.  They too now have a cool roofing program where they ask volunteers to help in the coating process.  Now, you may think this all sounds very expensive and time consuming but you couldn’t be more wrong.

There are several reflective roof coating systems you can use.  The one used in these city programs is called Acrylic Roofing.  It is basically a “roll on” or “paint on” application that is very simple to apply.  Not only is it simple but it’s also relatively in-expensive, especially if you want to do it yourself.  Personally our construction company Cyde Enterprises has been using this type of roofing system for more than 25 years.  The picture for this article is of an acrylic or “cool” roofing project we completed on the Taylorville, IL square years ago.  We have found that reflective or “cool” roofing systems are superior when it comes to cost vs roof life.  As said before these systems are cheap and easy to apply and they are highly beneficial to the environment.  So the next time you have a roofing issue or know someone who does, think about the benefits of cool roofing.  If you’re thinking about updating to a cool roofing system but don’t exactly know how to get started feel free to contact our staff here at Construction Drama or you can also contact our staff at Cyde Enterprises for more information.