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The Metal Initiative -Where Metal Really Shines

BUILDING OWNER NEWSLETTER
September, 2008

Welcome to another issue of "Where Metal REALLY Shines," an electronic newsletter for building owners and managers prepared by The Metal Initiative, a coalition of companies and trade associations formed to educate owners about the use and selection of metal roof and wall systems in commercial buildings.

The Metal Initiative - Where Metal Really ShinesThis issue deals with the emerging hot topic of "cool roofing," a term used to describe the ability of a roof to reduce heat build-up inside a building and thereby reduce energy consumption and costs by reducing air conditioning loads.

Cool roofing minimizes heat gain through the roof as a result of the solar refectance and thermal emittance properties of the roof's surface material. And, it works.

As a case in point, consider the results of two new schools in Paulding County, Georgia. Each had a 90,000-square-foot footprint and was identical in construction, except that one had a "standard" metal roof while the other had a "cool" metal roof.

After the first year of operation, the annual cooling cost for the school with the cool roof was $8,054 or 9.6% lower than the school with the standard roof. After the fourth year of operation, it was $14,496 or 12.8% lower, indicating savings are more than keeping pace with the escalation of energy costs in the region.

The reduction in energy usage possible with cool roofing has also been documented in a comprehensive research study at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that involved the weathering of different roof materials over a 3-year period. The research found:

  • Pre-painted metal roofing retained 95% of its initial solar reflectance over time. This is important because many codes assume the reflectivity of all roof materials degrades at the same rate.
  • Some membrane materials lost 40% of their solar reflectance after only three years, due to dirt retention.

To obtain more information on cool roofs, read our white paper: "The Environmental and Economic Benefits of Cool Roofs."

Download our white paper


Click here for additional information on the various other metal roof and wall systems used on commercial buildings.