subject: Reducing Heat By Using Cool Roofs [print this page] Innovations in construction methods and design have led to the invention of cool roofs. This type of roof has the ability to reflect light and radiation back to space as they hit the roof surface, reducing heat trapped by the roof and transferred underneath, thus decreasing the chance of heating within the building. This is now commonly used in commercial buildings and some residential houses.
There are three major types of cool roof inherent, coated and green. Inherently cool roofs are those covered with thermoplastic white vinyl and have the ability to emit almost 75% of the heat absorbed by the building. Coated roofs are roofs coated with solar reflective paint that does the same job as vinyl, while green roofs are roofs that are able to grow plants on its surface that conducts transpiration to reflect the heat back.
The best features of a cool roof are its solar reflectance, also known as albedo, and its thermal emittance. Albedo is the ability to reflect suns radiation, causing light to bounce off, while thermal emittance is the ability to absorb the energy that didnt bounce off. These unique characteristics make cool roof the best type of roofing for any building. The roofing industry, aligned with construction, has begun promoting this new technology.
Cool roofs are most helpful in tropical and hot regions like Florida. In Miami, roofing experts have been searching for new ways to fight the heat usually trapped in buildings and houses during sunny days. HVAC system experts suggest roofing design modifications to prevent heat from being absorbed by the roof instead of being counterbalanced by the air conditioning system. Roofing contractors Miami offers have the same concept.
Using cool roofs will keep power consumption down by minimizing the use of HVAC system in a facility. Some owners even resort to cutting off the entire system and relying completely on the cool roof, but demanding their roofing contractor Miami to provide a channel for natural ventilation.
However, there are special cases wherein the use of cool roof is not necessary. Facilities located in naturally cold regions do not need cool roofs that can radiate sunlight back to the atmosphere. Unlike what roofing contractor Miami offers, roofing contractors in these places are limited to using traditional types of thick roofing.
