The Benefits of Cool Roofs for Commercial Properties
What is a Cool Roof for Commercial Buildings
Cool roofs often have tremendous impacts on the temperatures of both the interior of commercial facilities and buildings, as well as the external temperature of the roof itself. A cool roof is a roof designed specifically to reflect a greater amount of sunlight, which in turn lowers the temperature of industrial buildings. Cool roofs have a variety of advantages, but most notably is their ability to reflect solar energy resulting in a roof that is up to 50°F cooler. Almost all buildings can greatly benefit from cool roofs, including large commercial buildings. Warehouses and other industrial buildings benefit by having cooler interior temperatures which lower their annual energy consumption. Continue reading to learn more about many of the main benefits to having a cool roof installed on your commercial buildings and properties.
Benefits of a Cool Roof for your Business
There are many different benefits to installing a cool roof on your commercial property. Some of these benefits are more straightforward, like cooler indoor temperatures, but other benefits of cool roofs might surprise you.
Cool Roofing Lowering the Temperature
A cool roof has a huge impact on not just the roofing, but the interior temperature of buildings. Especially in the heat of summer sunlight can have a massive impact on standard commercial roofing. When the temperature of the roof continues to rise throughout the day that heat will transfer to the inside of your buildings, and that heat increases the ambient temperature inside. Not only does this impact result in heating the building, but it can cause discomfort for those inside. With a cool roof less of the heat will be transferred into the building and the building will remain cooler throughout the hot days. There are many benefits to cool roofs, but they all essentially start with having a cooler building.
Energy efficiency & costs
It might be obvious that a cooler roof will directly result in lowering your annual energy consumption, however the impact a cool roof has on a larger commercial property may be surprising to many. After having a cool roof installed some commercial facilities and buildings see a reduction in energy consumption up to one third! A cooler roof means the inside of your building will be cooler and the costs of running your central air will lower. This can result in less maintenance for your air condition system, and sometimes allows a business to switch to a smaller system that is more energy efficient. A building that is significantly cooler throughout the day won’t have the same energy requirements, and a smaller air conditioning unit will be able to maintain the same temperature as a larger one with a traditional roof. While cooling roofs aren’t typically more expensive to install than a traditional roof, replacing an existing roof that doesn’t need to be replaced results in a loss of investment on the existing roof. In many cases we encourage business owners to switch to a cool roof when their existing roof already needs replacing so they can reap the benefits of an energy efficient roof.
Increased comfortability inside
A cooling roof can create dramatic savings depending on your environment, but lower costs of cooling your buildings aren’t the only benefit. Buildings with hotter roofs increase the inside temperature and the heat radiates from above. Even in a room where the air conditioning is doing its best this can still make the room uncomfortable for the employees, customers, and anyone else inside. Comfortability inside a workplace environment is extremely important, as we spend a significant portion of our lives there. Having a better work environment increases the overall quality of life for your employees. In warehouse environments this can make a significant difference in the health of your employees. On hot days a warehouse without air conditioning can easily reach triple digit temperatures and may cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or other heat related health problems. Installing a cool roof can help ensure your employees are staying safe while on the job.
Reduces Roofing Deterioration
With many roofing materials the sun can cause significant damage over long periods. The solar energy buildup on a traditional roof causes heating of the shingles, tiles, and other materials used to construct the roof. Depending on the roofing materials used this can cause them to dry out and become very brittle. As these roofing materials become brittle there is a higher chance leaks will appear, which allows air to flow through freely. As roofing materials are exposed to these extreme buildups in heat they will degrade much faster and may require more maintenance and other services to keep the roof in good condition. This extreme heat can also result in roofs needing to be replaced much earlier than expected. A cool roof will reflect more solar energy helping to reduce the temperature of the roof.
Environmental Impact
There are multiple factors involved when looking at the environmental factors of a cool roof. Firstly a cool roof reduces the energy a building uses during the hottest months because the air conditioner runs less. Air conditioners create pollution in the form of what is called greenhouse gas emissions. If you are replacing your traditional roof with a cooling roof then you will experience energy savings as well as reduced energy consumption. A cooling roof will also lower the outside temperature of the immediate areas since it is not absorbing as much solar energy. A roof that is 50 degrees cooler will contribute less to what is known as the urban heat island effect where an urban area becomes hotter than the surrounding rural areas. Ultimately decreasing the energy required to cool your building is a benefit to all.
What is the Best Cool Roof for Your Industrial Building?
Choosing the correct materials for your cool roofing can be complicated, but our team can help guide you while narrowing down your search results. There are different slopes of cool roofs, different materials, and different colors. All of these can have an impact. Previously cool roofs were only designed in lighter colors, but as energy technologies have changed there are more darker options available.
Steep Sloped & Low Sloped Cool Roofs
A Low-sloped roof is a roof that has a pitch below a 2:12, or doesn’t rise more than 2 inches every foot. Some manufacturers suggest that a low-sloped roof isn’t steep enough for their shingles to be used. Because of the lower slope water takes longer to run off the roof. Water flow with a steeper roof will move more quickly, and because of that won’t require additional waterproofing like a low-sloped roof would. Depending on the roof style and the pitch of your roof shingles may not be the best solution, in which case you would have a membrane roof installed. Steep-sloped roofs are more common with residential properties and have a pitch greater than 18 degrees.
Materials & Color
As roofing technology has advanced more materials have been proven to work with cool roofing. There are many options for cool roofing now including membrane, stone, rile, metal, shingles, special coatings, and more. Traditionally lighter white colors were used for cool roofs, however newer coating technologies now allow us to utilize a variety of colors, including darker colors like gray. Now we are not limited to just light white roofs when constructing and installing a new cool roof. With the larger selection of materials and color options available you can have a cool roof installed that maintains the same visual style as your previous roof, or even upgrade it to a color and style that works better. To learn more about the options that DeMarco has available please reach out to our office to speak to an expert!
Commercial Roofing Industry Leaders
For over 3 decades Demarco Incorporated has provided commercial and residential roofing services to Central Ohio. As industry leaders in the city of Columbus we have grown and offer a wide variety of services including commercial roof installations, roof maintenance, roof curb installations, flashing repairs, mastony work, construction services, and more. Throughout our years of experience we have provided roofing services for warehouses, skyscrapers, office buildings, hospitals, hotels, educational facilities, retail centers, and many other well known buildings. We are certified in many installation roofing systems and are proud to have our roofing work on many buildings across the city.
Request a Quote for Your Commercial Building
When you work with a roofing company you want to be assured that your roofers are experts in their field. DeMarco has been a long time institution in the roofing community of Central Ohio and our name has become synonymous with high quality work. We are proud to be residents of Columbus, Ohio and call this city our home. Our trustworthy reputation, extensive roofing knowledge, and the 30+ years of running a roofing company mean we provide an excellent experience for our customers. Reach out to us today for a quote and to talk more about our commercial roofing services.