Cool Roofs Help Buildings Use Less Energy, Enhance Local Environment

CRRC Key to Market for Cool Roofing

"It's no secret: putting a cool roof on your building, whether new or retrofit, can save you money on energy and increase occupant comfort. Also, lower surface temperatures likely improve a roof's longevity," says Cool Roof Rating Council Chair Peter Turnbull. "Cool roofs" save energy and money for building owners and tenants, particularly in areas with high air-conditioning usage, by reflecting the sun's energy rather than absorbing it, thus reducing a building's cooling load. As one part of local and regional efforts, implementation of cool roofing on a wide scale promises to reduce the urban heat island phenomenon by lowering ambient temperatures by several degrees, which makes life better for all of us.

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) is the premier association focused on implementing and communicating a fair, accurate, and credible radiative energy performance rating system for roof surfaces. A clear and fair rating system is important for strengthening markets for roofing products that save energy and reduce a building's impact on the local environment. CRRC's approach complements other programs, such as EPA's Energy Star® program, that set minimum performance thresholds.Regulators, specifiers, contractors, HVAC engineers and building owners are increasingly demanding verified performance of roof products. Code bodies are increasingly choosing to require better roof radiative performance; CRRC can supply those ratings. California has selected the CRRC as the sole supervisory entity for the purpose of maintaining a rating system for radiative properties of roofing materials. Current draft revisions to the state's energy efficiency code, Title 24, require a cool roof, which is defined by the state as having initial solar reflectance of 0.70 and thermal emittance of 0.75 for low-sloped roofs of commercial buildings, as rated and documented under the CRRC system. In the last two years, over 55 million square feet of cool roofing were installed in California under a statewide rebate program alone, and California utilities are continuing that success with new incentive programs. The potential size of the Cool Roof market is tremendous, and the industry is taking note-manufacturer participation in the CRRC Product Rating Program has grown rapidly. "So far this year," said Turnbull, "membership is up almost 40%, and our list of rated products has more than doubled-clearly manufacturers are gearing up for growth of the cool roof market." CRRC Charter Members include some of the largest and most innovative roofing manufacturers and sellers. At the CRRC summer membership meeting, held in Las Vegas on June 4, representatives of CRRC's 82 members and licensees set priorities for establishing new initiatives and guiding the future growth of the organization. In particular, development of the protocol for aged testing of roofing products is now in the final phase, with implementation scheduled to begin January 1, 2004. CRRC's web site, www.coolroofs.org, contains useful information including:

• Detailed description of the Rating Program; Membership information including a listing of current members; Educational information on Cool Roofs; and
• Links to utility programs and others that promote cool roofs.

For more information on the CRRC, CRRC membership, and the Product Rating Program, visit www.coolroofs.org or contact Sarah Van Mantgem at 866-465-2523.