What is a Cool Roof?
A Cool Roof is a roof surface designed to reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the roof from the sun.

• According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), “Cool roof materials have two important surface properties: a high solar reflectance – or albedo – and a high thermal emittance. Solar reflectance is the percentage of solar energy that is reflected by a surface. Thermal emittance is defined as the percentage of energy a material can radiate away after it is absorbed. Cool roofs reflect heat well across the entire solar spectrum, especially in the infrared and visible wavelengths. The less solar radiation materials absorb, the cooler they are. In addition to absorbing less heat, the coolest roofing materials radiate away any absorbed heat.”

How does a Cool Roof help the environment?
A Cool Roof helps the environment in 3 ways:

1. It helps to fight global warming

   Reduces CO₂ emissions

• Substantially lowering your energy consumption means your electrical utility generates less CO₂ and improves air quality.
• The EPA estimates that one-sixth of all electricity generated in the U.S. is used to air condition buildings. They conclude that “ Monitoring of over 10 buildings in California and Florida demonstrates that cool roofs save residents and building owners 20-70% in annual cooling energy use. ”

   Helps increase the albedo of the earth's cities.

• According to a paper published in 2006 by the American Physical Society, “ Cool Roofs to Save Money and Delay Global Warming ” by Arthur Rosenfield, “ cooling the planet by [improving] urban albedo through white and other cool roofs is a direct effect, much larger and [more] immediate than the 2nd-order cooling from reduced CO₂ from reduced a-c use. ”

2. Reduces the urban “heat island” effect

• According to the EPA, “ For millions of Americans living in and around cities, heat islands are of growing concern. This phenomenon describes urban and suburban temperatures that are 2 to 10°F (1 to 6°C) hotter than nearby rural areas. Elevated temperatures can impact communities by increasing peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution levels, and heat-related illness and mortality. ”
• While the contribution of each individual building to the urban heat island effect is small, it adds up. The EPA goes on to state that “"Solar reflectance and thermal emittance have noticeable effects on temperature. Conventional roof surfaces have low reflectance (0.05 to 0.25) and high thermal emittance (typically over 80%) and heat up to 150 to 190°F (66 to 88°C) at midday during the summer" ... " Cool roofs with both high reflectance and high emittance warm to only 100 to 120°F (38 to 49°C) in the summer sun. ”

3. Increases building sustainability

• Your roof and its insulation last longer thanks to a decrease in temperature extremes and expansion/contraction cycles. This saves you money in the long term and reduces landfill usage.
• Statistics compiled by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency show that roof system waste generated from roof tear-offs accounts for 15 percent to 20 percent of the total landfill waste.

Is a Cool Roof costly to install and maintain?
Depending on the situation, Cool Roofs are typically cost-competitive with, and sometimes cheaper than traditional new roofs. When replacing a roof, a Cool Roof coating can extend the life of the existing roof, and often offer great savings over the cost of removing and replacing the existing materials.

• The EPA states: “ When the life-cycle costs of cool and traditional roofs are compared, however, cool roofs are often less expensive. This is because, once installed, electricity demand is reduced and summertime savings on energy bills begin to add up. In fact, experience has shown that, over time, most reflective roofs pay for themselves. ”

Are there any utility rebates for Cool Roof installations?
Depending on your utility company, which materials were used in your roofing project, and where you live, you may be eligible for a rebate. If your utility company is listed, you can access one of these websites to determine your eligibility:

• Pacific Gas & Electric Cool Roof Rebate Program
• Southern California Electric Cool Roof Rebate Program
• SMUD Cool Roof Program

Are Cool Roof materials toxic?
Arctic Roofing is committed to using environmentally-friendly materials wherever possible. Depending on your situation, we may use the following primary products:

• Environmental Liquid Membrane System^® (ELMS) is a high biobased content product with low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissivity.
• Eco-therm^TM is a low odor, low VOC emissivity, low toxicity elastomeric coating compound.
• Thermo-seal^TM is a low odor, low VOC emissivity, low toxicity coating compound.

How will the installation of a Cool Roof impact my life or business?
There will be minimal impact to building occupants during our Cool Roof project. You should notice very little odor or noise. The duration of our projects is typically brief compared to replacing a traditional roof, and we will leave your roof and our work area clean.

Is a Cool Roof as good a roof as a traditional roof?

Better!