What is a cool roof?
Cool roofs are a highly reflective and emissive material that stays 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit cooler in the summer sun, thereby reducing energy costs, improving occupant comfort, cutting maintenance costs, increasing the life cycle of the roof, and contributing to the reduction of urban heat islands and associated smog.

What kind of roofing products are available for residential applications?
Products for low-slope roofs found on a single family residence, are available in clay, or concrete tiles. These products remain cooler by using a special pigment that reflect the sun’s infrared heat. Inexpensive shingles or coated metal roofing products are not yet available in “cool” versions.

How cool is a cool roof?
During the summer, a typical dark roof is 150 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit at peak, while cool roofs peak at 100 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Are cool roofs required in California’s residential energy efficiency code?
No, they are not required, but there are energy credits. Please consult the building code for rules.

When did the Cool Roof Rating Council become the supervisory entity for cool roofs in California?
The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) became the supervisory entity responsible for administering California’s certification program for roofing products beginning January 1, 2003. At this time, every roofing product that is installed to comply with Title 24 will need to carry a packaging label that lists the product’s reflectance and emittance as tested in accordance with ASTM standards.

For more information, see “Section 10-113 -- Certification and Labeling of Roofing Product Reflectance and Emittance” of the Building Energy Standards. Until this time, all products must be ENERGY STAR® qualified. For a list of qualified products, visit Cool Roof Rating Council.

Source: California Energy Commission

The two photos where taken to show the difference between a Energy Efficient Cool Roof Coating and an existing Built up Hot Tar Roofing System. A test area consisting of Metacrylics Gel was applied and was left to age 24 hours before the temperature was taken. At 10:00am on a sunny October day in the San Francisco Bay Area the temperature was taken. As you can see there is a 30 degree difference between the two which translates into Energy savings and cooling system maintenance savings.

Energy Efficient Cool Roof Coating 15 year Warranty

The photo is of a Metacrylics Inc. Cool Roof Coating System with a 15 year No Dollar Limit Warranty. The Cool Roof Coating System was applied over a Built up Hot Tar with Cap Sheet. The existing Hot Tar roof was power washed for cleaning and the Cool Roof Coating was applied directly to the Hot Tar roof without any primers.

Dear Mr. President, I read in a publication that you plan on painting Washington D.C. white. My question to you is, then why are you allowing the U.S. Armed Forces to reroof their facilities with old technology like built-up hot tar?

Hot tar roofing systems are not only very expensive to apply, expensive to maintain, they only last 15 to 20 years, and they soak up the sun’s UV rays. Because the building soaks up the UV rays, the building gets hotter; it uses more electricity for cooling and is totally not energy-efficient.

When the old roofing system has failed, it gets torn off and thrown into a landfill. While in the landfill, its petroleum and chemicals leach into the water system, poisoning the children and grownups of our great country. After the old roof is thrown away and a new built-up hot tar is applied to the building, the new roof constantly gases out and secretes chemicals that flow down the drainpipe into the water table or the ocean during rainy seasons.

I have a solution for you, Obama. Don’t tear off the old roofing systems and throw the toxic waste into the landfill. All you have to do is encapsulate them with a renewable, sustainable, 90-percent reflective, energy-efficient coating system.

The term renewable is used because after 10 to 20 years of service from the new roofing system, another topcoat is applied and your manufacturer’s warranty is renewed. The cost of the coating will be paid for from the ample heating and air- conditioning savings. The savings are usually between 25 and 45 percent due to the 90-percent reflectivity.

The roofing system coating is also NON-TOXIC. It is water-based with no zinc oxide. No more stinking up the entire building and surrounding neighborhood. No more people getting sick from the hot tar fumes and taking time off work. No more chemicals flowing into our oceans and drinking water, and no more wasted taxpayer money.

So, Mr. President, all you have to do is call 831-331-1293 for your free literature, samples, and roof evaluation to start saving our beautiful country and our taxpayers’ money.

Acrylic fluid-applied roofing is inexpensive to install and maintain and can extend the life of a roof dramatically. Fluid-applied coatings are formulated with UV blocking and white pigments to protect further asphalt degradation in the old roofing below. The degradation of conventional hot asphalt reinforced roof systems is caused by three important factors: (1) loss of plasticizers, which provide flexibility, (2) UV components of sunlight, and (3) thermal shock caused by large fluctuations in temperature change. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the white pigments in fluid-applied coatings can actually reduce the temperature of the roof surface by up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or within 10 degrees of the ambient air temperature, hence the name “cool roof”. These key elements virtually “freeze” the aging process of the old roof system below.

I met with a contractor I use to work for back in the day today. He’s an older guy about sixty years old and he was freaking out. The phone wasn’t ringing and he said he hadn’t taken any orders for new roofs lately. I said, “Orders, pizza parlors take orders not contractors. What are you doing waiting for the phone to ring?” It’s just old thinking or just plane ignorance. In the market we are in you better figure out a way to go get the work or you will fail. Today’s construction market is tuff but construction workers are tougher.

I always fall back to my early days as a piece worker getting paid by the square. If I left a tool on the other side of the roof and I had to stop to go get it I lost money that day. As a piece worker I had to redefine and streamline my system everyday to get more product on than the day before.  Today my job selling for Metacrylics is no different. I learn from today’s mistakes to better myself tomorrow.

I myself have never waited for the phone to ring I have always gone out and made opportunities. In this market I have excelled by doing the basics repetitively everyday. Cold calling, setting appointments, having meetings, hosting demonstrations and presentations old school gum shoe foot work. I’m an old school construction worker and I know how to work real hard. Now with blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn I can work hard and smart at the same time. Word of mouth is what is going to make things happen not staring at the phone waiting for it to ring. Get out there and make things happen or you will be left out in the cold. Good Luck

If you get three estimates using three different roofing systems, in reality you have only one estimate (one for each roofing type, which are incomparable). Choose the roofing system for your project with a little research. Don’t be afraid to ask questions from the bidding contractors. Once you have chosen your roofing system, put it back out to bid. From there, you can properly compare the estimates since they will all represent the same roofing system.

Going Green?

Owners and managers who wish to display commitment to the environment and reduce operating costs use LEED certification as their guide.

LEED certification (www.leedbuilding.org) provides nationally recognized, independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures. Rating points are awarded for sustainable features in five categories: building site; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality.

In addition to lowering the impact on the environment and reducing operating costs, LEED certified buildings qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances, and other incentives.

Re-roofing and performing regular roof maintenance are both excellent ways to earn and maintain LEED points. As a pioneer in “cool roofing” techniques, Platinum Roofing is well versed in LEED requirements and remains on the leading edge for developing and utilizing the latest in sustainable roofing products and procedures.

Check this page periodically for updates on the LEED rating system and news about the latest ways to keep your roof clean and green.