Cool Roof - Green Roof Materials

Energy efficiency, durability, performance, sustainability, ability to recycle materials and life cycle costs are some of the key criteria for green building. Architects, builders and building oweners have changed the way they select building materials and are designing buildings. They increasingly are shifting their attention to green building materials and energy performance emphasizing newer cool roof selection. Cooling costs significantly affect a building's energy consumption in most parts of the country and cooling is the largest energy cost in the southern states. Cool roofs can save upwards of 40% in cooling energy as reported by several studies including Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Cool roofs basically are roofs which reflect much of the solar radiation away from the building, employ ASV - above sheathing ventilation cooling underneath the roof material, readily transmit the heat which they still absorb away from the building and cool down quickly at night time. Less solar radiation and consequent heat entering a building's attic or living space through a building's roof, lowers the building's cooling costs and energy usage.

Read more at Rutland's Architectural Blog