What is Cool Roofing?
“Cool roofs are highly
reflective, highly emissive (meaning heat emitting) roofing
materials that stay 50 – 60 degrees cooler than a
normal roof under a hot summer sun.”
California passed Title 24 "Energy Effeciency Standards
for Office and Non-Office Buildings. These standards require
Office and non Office buildings to meet stronger energy
efficiency requirements. These requirements cover many
areas other than roofing however roofing will have the
most economic impact. A-Make Ready Roof Company already
is Title 24 compliant as these standards are being introduced
throughout the United States.
How this will affect commercial, industrial and multi-family
real estate is that when the old roof needs to be replaced
it will need to comply with the new standard; any new
construction will have to conform to the new construction
codes.It
isn’t necessary to replace a roof to take advantage
of the benefits that a cool roof has to offer. The method
of achieving this on an existing roof is by applying an
approved cool roof reflective coating over the existing
roof. There are tremendous advantages to this, namely:
Cost. The cost to install a Cool Roof
over an existing roof is much less, often no more
than 25% the cost of installing a new roof.
If the space below is air conditioned
the reduced heat load will lower the cost of cooling
significantly. This means that the average installation
pays for itself quickly and begins putting savings
back in the bank.
Roof maintenance costs are reduced
due to the protective and preserving nature of the
cool roof coatings.
Wear and tear on air conditioning systems
are reduced due to reduced demand for cooling.
There is a tax benefit because this
is generally listed as a repair and able to be deducted
right away as a tax deductible operating expense rather
than depreciated over many years as in the case of
a roof replacement. Check this point with your tax
advisor and your particular circumstances.
Prolonging the life of the existing
roof almost indefinitely if it is properly maintained.
There is an added environmental benefit
because the existing roof does not need to be torn
off, thereby not taxing the environmental waste systems.
The average commercial roofing system lasts approximately
15 – 20 years if well maintained before it needs to be
torn off and replaced with a new roof. The above cool roof
method can be done over and over again with significant savings
each time it is done.
There are circumstances wherein the existing roof is at the
end of its life and needs more than just a reflective coating
installed over it. This is when roofing restoration comes
into play. Roofing restoration will be the subject of a future
article. The cost and environmental savings due to all this
is amazing.
Commercial flat roofing will never be the same.
