It’s easier than you might think to make a meaningful contribution to your city’s green initiatives. So, if you’re looking for a way to cut your carbon footprint as well as your monthly expenses, consider the benefits of a commercial cool roof system.
What Is a Cool Roof?
A cool roof is a commercial roofing system designed to limit a building’s interactions with UV rays. These roofs tend to consist of materials that are both heat-resistant and light in color. This combination helps these roofs and their buildings consume less energy while remaining comfortable for visiting guests.
Cool roofing materials tend to be longer-lasting than traditional materials. As a result, commercial building managers who install these roof systems benefit from lower maintenance costs while also enjoying greater security when dangerous weather impacts the area.
What Purpose Does a Cool Roof Serve?
Cool roofs serve environmental and financial purposes for invested parties. Commercial managers who invest in cool roof systems can reduce their carbon footprints. At the same time, these parties can cut their monthly expenses while keeping all visitors to their property comfortable.
But above all else, cool roof systems are highly beneficial to surrounding urban areas. This is because dense urban areas fall victim to what is known as the heat island effect. When a concentrated space becomes cluttered with heat-retaining materials and human waste, it rises in temperature. That’s why urban areas like New York City, Chicago, Houston, and other hubs can be notably warmer than their more suburban sisters.
This kind of heat produces a significant amount of CO2, which contributes to climate change worldwide. To reduce a city’s carbon footprint, individual commercial building managers can reduce the amount of heat their infrastructure releases. Ergo, cool roofs have the potential to benefit not only individuals but entire cities.
How Do Cool Roofs Work?
Cool roofs repel a significant percentage of the sun’s heat. The combination of light colors and a unique molecular make-up helps these roofs bounce UV rays back out into the wider world, reducing the amount of warmth that the roof and building retain.
Some of the most common cool roofing materials include:
- EPDM roofing membranes
- Concrete tiles
- Asphalt shingles
- Slate tiles
- Solar panels
- Metal sheets
These materials incur very little damage when exposed to high levels of UV radiation. For that reason, they require less maintenance while protecting a building from other roof-related problems, including leaks.
Benefits of Commercial Cool Roofs
On the financial end, cool roofs lower your building’s maintenance costs. When you don’t have to worry about solar wear and tear, you may only need to call local experts for annual roofing inspections. Commercial cool roof systems also reduce your energy bills from month to month, letting you allocate that money elsewhere.
The way commercial cool roofs take on and disperse heat also impacts your building’s relationship with the environment. Because these roofs take on less warmth than others, they experience fewer heat-related blackouts. That being the case, you won’t have to worry about losing power when temperatures in your city start to rise.
Should Your Commercial Building Have a Cool Roof?
Installing a cool roof above your business can be an expensive endeavor. That doesn’t mean that the investment isn’t worth it. Cool roofs tend to pay themselves off over the course of a few years, with money saved on bills and necessary maintenance.
That said, your commercial building may not benefit from a cool roof if you live in a relatively cloudy or cool part of the county. For example, rural commercial buildings tend to endure less urban heat, making a cool roof useful if not immediately necessary.
Cool roofs, then, best serve commercial buildings in high-sun, hot, and urban areas. For more information about whether or not a cool roof may benefit your commercial building, you can contact the roofing professionals in your area.
Kaneka Cool Roof & Bi-Facial Technology
Integrate energy generation into your commercial building today with Kaneka Energy Management Solutions! We look forward to helping you incorporate advanced building photovoltaics into your next project.
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