![]() Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report #ORNL-6527, 1989. MacDonald, Guide for Estimating Differences in Building Heating and Cooling Energy Due to Changes in Solar Reflectance of a Low-Sloped Roof, U.S. "Long-term performance of high-albedo roof coatings." Energy and Buildings 25, no. "Cooling energy savings potential of reflective roofs for residential and commercial buildings in the United States." Energy 24, no. "Measured energy savings from the application of reflective roofs in two small non-residential buildings." Energy 28, no. Also see key citations found at the end of this article at REFERENCES.Roof color effects on building energy costs: research citations (Of course, two inches of insulation isn't much.). The graphic shown here, illustrates that a fresh-coated roof can reduce the annual cooling energy in a low-slope-roofed building by as much as 43% (uninsulated roof)Īnd remarkably, notice that the uninsulated but fresh-coated roof performed almost as well as a roof with two-inches of insulation. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratories have studied and reported on the effects of roof coatings that help deal with building heat load by improved solar reflection. Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (found at page bottom, Click to Show or Hide).Įffects on Energy Costs of Highly-Reflective Low-Slope Roofs ![]() Using white metal roofing (see Table 2-18 shown at left.) Switching from dark to white asphalt shingles in a coolingĬlimate can reduce peak cooling loads by 17% and seasonal Roofing Color Effect on Cooling CostsĪs explained in Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (found at page bottom, Click to Show or Hide), chapter on BEST ROOFING PRACTICES: hotter than a white-roof attic in Florida, according to the Florida Solar Energy's Phil Fairey. Roof color choice also may affect shingle life in those climates.įor instance, an attic under a black-colored roof can be 30 degF. In very hot climates (Florida, Texas, Arizona), however, roof color definitely affects the cooling load of a house. So for a house in your climate, choose whatever color strikes your fancy. The attic insulation level and under-roof ventilation rate are the most important factors. They agreed that roof color alone has a minor effect on the overall energy balance of a well-insulated house in your area (Iowa), winter or summer. In the absence of specific research on the subject, we polled several roofing experts. Our photo (above left) shows heavy snow-cover on an asphalt shingle roof in Rhinebeck, NY. Answer: Roof Color for Iowa-like Climates So in our hot Iowa summers, when we have to air-condition, is it not better to use light-colored roofs, despite the trend toward dark roofs? - Victor Gibson, Waterloo IA In the summer a light colored roof will stay cooler. What is the best color for a building roof? In Iowa a well-insulated roof has snow on it for most of the winter, so using dark shingles to absorb solar energy won't work. Roof Shingle Color Advice for Northern Climates Compared with Hot High-Sun Climates Question: what is the best color for a roof? The question-and-answer article about the effects of roof color on building temperature and on roof life discussed here quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Choices of Roof Color & Effect on Energy Use & Roof Shingle Life We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. We provide a table of the effects of various roof colors on building cooling loads and costs. This article describes the effect of roof color on shingle (or other roofing material) life and the effect of roof color on building cooling load. ![]() ![]() We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest.
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