CRRC Celebrates 10 Years of Growth, Technical Advancement and Industry Adoption

Oakland, CA, USA – July 3rd, 2008

This summer marks the 10-Year Anniversary of the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC), which was established in 1998 for the purpose of creating a fair, accurate, and credible rating system for the radiative properties of roofing products (solar reflectance and thermal emittance). Due to growing participation in the organization and an increasing number of references in building codes and green building programs the CRRC has become an essential resource for the public and the roofing industry. In addition, this year marks several other accomplishments for the CRRC, including reaching 1,000 products in its Rated Products Directory and the launch of a 10-year planning process.

Also at the height of this celebration comes a landmark achievement for the organization, one that ratifies the success of the last ten years: accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), giving the CRRC the esteemed status of ‘Accredited Standards Developer’. ANSI is a distinguished non-profit organization that coordinates the development of voluntary consensus standards through its Essential Requirements, which require the process for standards development to be fair, open, and balanced. The CRRC’s accreditation by ANSI bolsters the organization’s credibility by confirming its commitment to transparency and public input. Now that the CRRC has earned its ‘Accredited Standards Developer’ status, the CRRC-1 Standard for rating the radiative properties of roofing materials will undergo a consensus body review and will be submitted to ANSI to become an American National Standard.

History and Achievements

Since 1998, the CRRC has evolved from a small member organization of just 25 members, primarily consisting of parties interested in developing the organization, to boasting some 176 members today. The CRRC is extremely grateful to all of its participants and supporters over the years that contributed to making this organization the solid, finely tuned machine that it is today.

The first significant accomplishment for the organization came in 2002 when, after four years of research and development, the Product Rating Program was launched. The centerpiece of the Product Rating Program is the online Rated Products Directory, available to the public at no cost. The Directory has grown significantly since its inception, recently eclipsing the 1,000th product milestone. The user-friendly database is home to a broad range of product brands and types making it an indispensable tool for roofing manufacturers, contractors and consultants as well as architects, code bodies, utilities, building owners and managers, homeowners and the public.

Another landmark event took place in 2005 when the California Energy Commission (CEC) added a cool roof requirement to their Building Energy Code (Title 24) for low- slope, air-conditioned, commercial buildings, and elected the CRRC as the sole supervisory entity for solar reflectance and thermal emittance ratings. In 2009, Title 24’s cool roof requirement will expand to include residential buildings and steep-slope roofs

in certain climate zones, retaining an exclusive reference to the CRRC’s Product Rating Program.

With a growing number of code bodies and green building rating systems requiring cool roofs or referencing the CRRC’s Product Rating Program, the CRRC is on its way to “greener” pastures. The 10-year forecast for the CRRC could not be better.

Looking Ahead

The CRRC is eager to continue its past ten years of success and is planning for the next ten. The Board of Directors recently launched a strategic planning process to develop a 10-Year Plan for the organization. The plan will direct the organization’s future activities surrounding education and outreach, technical research and development and financial matters. There will also be an emphasis placed on general education about the environmental benefits of cool roofing materials and the CRRC’s Product Rating Program through advocacy for increased utility rebate offerings and references to the CRRC’s Rating Program in building codes.

The wide scale implementation of cool roofs will not only save energy and money by reducing air-conditioning needs, but also promises to reduce the urban heat island phenomenon by lowering a community’s ambient temperatures by several degrees. All interested parties are encouraged to pursue these benefits by participating in the CRRC or by specifying cool roofs.

For more information on the CRRC, please visit our website, www.coolroofs.org, or contact us directly at (866) 465-2523 or [email protected].