White Roof Nrdc

Simple steps such as painting roofs with lime based white wash adding tarp like coverings or white ceramic tiles low cost high impact measures can help bring roof surface temperatures down by as much as 30 c 86 f and reduce indoor temperatures by 2 to 5 c 3 6 9 f.

White roof nrdc.

Commonly referred to as cool roofing it has received a stamp of approval from the state of california which has adopted its use in its building codes. New york for instance introduced rules on white roofs into its building codes as long ago as 2012. It has become a leed leadership in energy and environmental design standard of the u s. Also we are installing more insulation at around r 24 average.

White roof paint is often mistaken for and confused with white roof coating. The focus on cool roofs stems back to the devastating 2010 heat wave in ahmedabad the impetus for the heat action plan. In 2010 temperatures peaked at 46 8ºc more than 116ºf a 50 year. 2 reflectance is measured over the entire solar.

There are many small scale initiatives in cities to make roof surfaces more reflective. The misunderstanding is that while white roof paint can have some initial reflective value it does not eliminate heat nor does it have any waterproofing abilities. Over the past month several new studies analyzing the economics and environmental benefits of green roofs and cool roofs or white roofs a type of cool roof have been published in national research journals. New white roof reflects about 70 to 80 percent of sunlight i e these surfaces have an initial reflectance of 0 7 to 0 8.

Volunteers have taken white paint to nearly 7 million square feet of tar roofs in the city though that is still only about 1 percent of the potential roof area. It is a complex question here in nebraska. A green roof on the former headquarters of the gap inc. Making a big show out of installing a white roof seems just that a show.

Here we have more heating degree days than cooling degree days which would point to the need for a darker roof. White or reflective roofs have been in use for the past 15 years. It is commonly mentioned as a way to reduce the global warming effect or conserve energy. A number of periodicals and online stories have in turn reported on the studies shining a light on these much needed green building practices.

The natural resources defense council nrdc is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1 3 million. March 28 2012 at 3 38 pm.