In past years there have been multiple tests conducted and data captured to determine whether a Cool Roof System using roof coatings is an energy efficient flat roof solution. The simple answer is – YES, absolutely!
In June 2010, Professional Roofing Magazine published an article that compared two rooftops - one a Cool Roof and the other a black EPDM roof. These two roofs were located next to each other in the same corporate plaza with identical weather conditions, building height and construction. The lead estimator who conducted the test determined the following information to be true:
- Overall results showed a significant difference in internal thermal temperature – the Cool Roof only fluctuated 2 degrees during the day with outside temperatures reaching 102 degrees while the black EPDM roof fluctuated 8 degrees.
- From 10pm to 5am the internal temperature of both buildings were relatively equal to each other.
- At 6am the EPDM building began rising in internal temperature while the Cool Roof remained the same until 8am.
- By 8am the EPDM building was 2 degrees warmer inside than the Cool Roof.
- Throughout the day the building with the EPDM roof rises in temperature until roughly 4pm. The temperature range went from 84.86° at 5am to 92.96° at 4pm. This is an 8 degree temperature fluctuation throughout the day.
- The building with the Cool Roof Coatings fluctuated less than 2 degrees. From 83.72° at 5am to it’s peak at 5pm with an internal temperature of 85.61°.
The overall outcome of the test determined that Cool Roof Coating Systems provide an excellent choice when wanting an energy efficient flat roof solution. The 8 degree difference in internal temperature is large in terms of energy usage needed to cool the building. Thus, the Cool Roof Coating System allows you to save a great amount of cost in electricity required to lower the temperature inside the building.
To learn more about Cool Roof Systems, download our Cool Roofs Buyer’s Guide.
You can also check out the Harbor Freight Tools project, which National Coatings completed. They were very pleased with the outcome of the energy efficiency and truly believe it was the ideal flat roof solution for their leaking and aged roof. "After the National Coatings' Cool Roof was installed we definitely noticed a difference in building temperature. It's not a marginal difference, either. It is between 15-20 degrees cooler inside the warehouse and store." - Jerry Moore, Facilities Director at Harbor Freight Tools
AcryShield A502 was introduced by National Coatings Corporation in 2006 after three years of intensive research, including both laboratory and actual in-service field testing. The coating was designed to provide a primer/base coat to be applied to thermoplastic and thermoset single ply membranes, such as PVC, PIB, CPE, TPO and EPDM. Previously, the only primers used for coating these membranes were solvent borne, which required warning labels, had very high VOC (volatile organic content) and required extreme care when applying to prevent fumes from entering the building. The only other option for coating EPDM was a "prewash" or "rinseable primer" that had a very high, corrosive pH, so high that it would react with human skin oils, causing chemical burns.
