Visions: Cool Roofs
Want to keep cool indoors this summer? Maybe you should consider painting your roof white!
Visions looks at new research launched by the University of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne has assessed the benefits of white roofs and aims to help residential, commercial and industrial building owners determine if white roofs are suitable for their buildings and guide them through the best materials to use.
For more information about the cool roofs project and to download a copy of the report, please go to .
Credits
Produced by David Scott and Navina Smith
Camera by Clive Banfield and Patch Moore
Edited by Rob Cross
With thanks to:
Irene Vlahos & Councillor Cathy Oke (City of Melbourne)
Dr Dominique Hes, Dr Nicholas Williams & Dr Stephen Livesley (University of Melbourne)
© The University of Melbourne, 2012. All rights reserved.
I have white roof in hot florida and it reduced attic temps from 150F to max.100F,so that 50F degrees different makes a lot and the house is significantly cooler !! It has not only 2 benefits but many !!! White roof is #1 project in hot climates which will do more than you think 1.House is more comfortable (cooler). 2.Energy bill is down significantly. 3.Your roof lasts longer ( not 20 years,but 30 +). 4. It withstands hurricanes winds. 5. No more quartz from shingles falling to my pool and gutters. 5. It reflects light,so my solar systems works more efficiently and are not exposed to so much heat. 6. I can work on the roof all day long if I want to and not get my feet burned,the same applies inside attic. 7. Ductwork in the now “cool” attic delivers the conditioned air much cooler to the rooms and it works shorter time. Sooo be smart and keep the heat out,instead of fighting it with monster A/C units !!! White roof rocks and let your neighbor be at his owen house if he is picking on you about white roof..Stay Cool..
@MD031, could you elaborate the practical advantages on point 4 regarding hurricanes, and point 5 regarding the solar panels ? please
In 2008 I painted my conventional asphalt shingle pitched roof with elastomeric white roof paint (Home Depot: Henry brand; Lowes: Black Jack brand) using a 9″ conventional paint roller on a stick and no primer. (The shingles were several years old in 2008. Don’t paint without a primer first on new shingles less than 30 days old.) Am very pleased with the results. It cures leaks even before they start and cost 1/3 to 1/4 as much as a reshingle. Nine years later, it shows very little wear. It’s immune from all but the most severe hailstorms, unlike unpainted asphalt shingles. It saves on cooling costs. Don’t like white? Paint over the white roof paint with any exterior grade paint, in the same color as your shingles if you want. I painted the drip lip at the edge of the shingles too, with a paint brush, so precipitation touches nothing but roof paint until it hits the ground.
Thank you for sharing the research and insight.
I have a doubt for my research that it would be nice if you could help.
You say that white roofs are better to reflect heat, and quoting the video ” it’s a no brainer”
But when you use solar panels, such as the ones in the video on top of the white roof, doesn’t that defies the purpose ?
I’m researching in to cooling solar panels, and would appreciate your help.
How to achieve the goal of your study and all advantages that it has, using solar panels in all the roof ?
Do your neighbours white walls dazzle you? It’s odd that you think the roof is anymore bothersome for glare than the many other white painted surfaces in your built environment, when they occupy the plane least likely to present itself in your field of vision.
They’re just figuring this out now?
Today I am painting Asianpaints Tileguard White stain paint 2coats on old red Clay Roof Tiles, let’s see the change in temp (lookwise not good, loc: South India).
Im from AGDAM
You losr me on climate change
me too, i wonder if it’s just a nice key word to fill in …