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White roofs reduce surface temperatures more than 40 degrees compared to black roofs, study finds

White roofs reduce surface temperatures more than 40 degrees compared to black roofs, study finds


Drew Ballensky | March 21, 2012

Retrofitting a black roof surface to white reduced peak rooftop temperature in New York City by 43 degrees Fahrenheit, on average, during the summer of 2011, according to a new study published online at Environmental Research Letters. The study was the first long-term effort in New York to test how specific white roof materials held up and performed over several years.

Widespread installation of white roofs, through the NYC CoolRoofs program, could reduce city temperatures while cutting down on energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, said Stuart Gaffin, a research scientist at Columbia University. The options tested in the study included two synthetic membranes requiring professional installation and a white-paint coating that is being promoted by the city's white roof initiative.

The reflectivity and emissivity of the professionally installed white membrane coverings held up remarkably well after four years in use, the study found, while the painted surfaces were degraded after two years.

Several white roof membrane products that require professional installation are available for commercial facilities with flat roofs. Two of these options and a white-paint coating that is being promoted by the city's white roof initiative were tested in the study.

At Duro-Last, we applaud the results of the study. However, readers should be aware that there is a wide variety of choices available in cool roof materials.

Get the report at:
http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/research/data/123284-white-roof-tops-stay-far-cooler-in-the-summer,-new-study-confirms.html

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Major renovation for historic Northwestern Building in Minneapolis

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Army Corps of Engineers workers displaced during renovation of federal building in Huntington, W. Va.

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Drew Ballensky | Nov 25, 2013

Plans for massive redevelopment of Ft. Monmouth in New Jersey likely to be revised

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Reconstruction of historic Salzburg, Austria railroad station took complex planning

Salzburg, Austria’s Central Station remained in operation during reconstruction, a feat that required complex planning.

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