Cool roofing is quickly become one of the most effective ways of reducing energy bills and lowering the amount of heat in urban areas. Many homeowners are jumping on board and seeing the benefit every month with their lower power bills. What is so great about cool roofing in Denver, Colorado? Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of this material.
Benefits of Cool Roofing for Denver Colorado
The number one benefit of a cool roof is in the name itself. Cool roofs are designed to reflect heat from the sun instead of absorbing that thermal energy. This property allows the roof to transfer much less heat to the building it is attached to. This is turn leads to buildings staying much cooler by themselves and not having to rely on air conditioning. Of course lower energy consumption equals lower energy bills.
There is no shame in choosing cool roofing just for the economic savings, but rest assured that the roof is working for the environment as well. The less energy you use the less emissions and greenhouse gases you are sending into the atmosphere. This is why some municipalities and cities have started to give residents and businesses tax incentives for choosing green roofing on their next roof replacement.
Cool roofing has also had some success in reducing the urban heat island effect, where a metropolitan area is several degrees warmer than the surrounding rural area. The urban heat island effect has been known to contribute to higher energy consumption and heat related illnesses.
Drawbacks of Cool Roofing
North of certain latitudes you might lose the advantages of lower summer cooling costs with the higher costs of heating in the winter. We are far enough south in Denver, Colorado for that not to be a factor. Some people believe that all the reflected energy is contributing to warmer temperatures around the globe as well. That area is being studied.
What Qualifies as a Cool Roof?
There are a few different ways to classify cool roofing. The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes many EnergyStar materials as having the proper amount of reflectivity. There are other third party ratings groups such as the Cool Roof Rating Council. Simply the color of your roof could clear it as a cool roof.
There are no set criteria or numbers that qualify a roof as being officially “cool.”
Recent Comments