Cool Blue Roofs Could Save Energy And Money

Via Celsias, an article on how cool roofs could save energy and money:

A national “cool” roof campaign could save some 5.7 quad of net primary energy valued at $33 billion over the 20-year lifespan of an average roof, according to researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group.

cool roofs

The Case for Cool Roofs recommends a no-cost cool roof upgrade program and claims that upgrading commercial and residential roofs at end of service life could, over 20 years, save $15.5 billion in energy costs.The cool-colored clay tile, concrete tile and metal roofs cost the same or less than their conventional black asphalt or rubber counterparts.

The Heat Island Group   claims they look like traditional dark roofs but they reflect near-infrared light better.On a summer afternoon, a cool-colored roof that reflects 35 percent of sunlight will stay about 12°C (22°F) cooler than a traditional roof that looks the same but reflects only 10 percent of sunlight.

A brilliant blue that has been  invented by Oregon State University researcher Mas Subramanian could reflect the sunlight and provide a good  roof color, Co.Exist   reports. The article says car and building companies are coating their products with the brilliant blue to save money on energy costs.

Additionally, US Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds are available to finance basic research   for new reflective pigments that could keep roofs cool.



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About This Blog And Its Author
As potential uses for building and parking lot roofspace continue to grow, unique opportunities to understand and profit from this trend will emerge. Roof Options is committed to tracking the evolving uses of roof estate – spanning solar power, rainwater harvesting, wind power, gardens & farms, “cooling” sites, advertising, apiculture, and telecom transmission platforms – to help unlock the nascent, complex, and expanding roofspace asset class.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy. Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation. He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”