Solar Reflectance Of Roofing Materials

Unpainted metals are typically good solar reflectors but poor thermal emitters so they rarely satisfy low slope cool roof requirements.

Solar reflectance of roofing materials.

The more waves that are bounced back into the atmosphere the higher the solar reflectance of the asphalt roofing shingle. Roofing shingles and materials plus factory certified roofers including ratings from real homeowners from north america s largest roofing manufacturer. Solar reflectance and thermal emittance are the two key material surface properties that determine a roof s temperature and they each range on a scale from 0 to 1. Heat island effect roof.

The larger these two values are the cooler the roof will remain in the sun. Metal roofs are available with natural metallic finishes oven baked paint finishes or granular coated surfaces. Reflective surfaces can deliver high solar reflectance the ability to reflect the visible infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths of the sun reducing heat transfer to the surface and high thermal emittance the ability to radiate absorbed or non reflected solar energy. Energy star requires an initial sr value of 0 25 or higher for steep slope 2 12 roofs and 0 15 or greater after three years.

It is defined so that a standard black surface reflectance 0 05 emittance 0 90 is 0 and a standard white surface reflectance 0 80 emittance 0 90 is 100. The solar reflectance index sri is a measure of the constructed surface s ability to reflect solar heat as shown by a small temperature rise. Asphalt shingles with higher solar reflectance values can achieve energy star certification. The solar reflectance measurement ranges between 0 0 and 1 0 with 1 0 representing 100 reflectance with no absorption.

Using solar reflective shingles and solar reflective roofing products that reflect ultraviolet and primarily infrared radiation will reduce damage caused by u v and heat degradation. One example is a metal wrench left in the sun which is hot to the touch because it has a low emissivity value. Reflective surfaces are a form of geoengineering. Residential and commercial roofing shingles slate roof ventilation roof underlayments asphaltic and tpo roof membranes.

Link between energy savings and emissivity. How they can be made cool. With the exception of a metallic surface most roofing materials can have emittance values above 0 85 85.