From the Editor
Are cool roofs beneficial, even in cool climates? This seems to be the debate of the day in the roofing industry. Battle lines are drawn and a ton of research is underway.

Conventional wisdom is that a dark roof would be better for cool climates because in the long, cold winter, it would absorb and transfer the sun’s energy to the building, lowering heating costs.

On the other hand, cool roof advocates argue that a cool roof on any building that has air conditioning will reduce energy use and cost. While acknowledging that there is a “heating penalty” in cool climates with use of a cool roof, advocates argue that the energy and money saved during the air conditioning season always offsets the much less substantial increase in cost of heating during the winter. That’s partly due to the fact that a cool roof reduces air conditioning loads during the hot summer afternoon hours when energy is most expensive.

Additionally, cool roof users in northern urban areas always will contribute to the reduction of the urban heat island effect, say experts, like Hashem Akbari of the Heat Island Group at Lawrence-Berkeley National Lab. The ability of cool roofs to help reduce the urban heat island effect is the main reason why the LEED green building rating system awards a point for roofs that meet cool criteria.

So stay tuned — both sides are rather vocal in their respective stances, so it’s not an argument that will be settled any time soon.

As always, I’d like to hear from you. Do you use a cool roof in a cool climate? Have you experienced energy cost savings?

Cheers,

Green Strategies
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