National Coatings Blog

When shopping around for a reflective roofing product such as a roof coating, it is necessary to research the reflective capabilities the coating is able to provide initially and at 3 years. The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) tests and rates reflective roofing products to provide consultants and building owners with these initial and 3 year unbiased results.

While it is very important to select a roof coating that provides high reflectivity initially, it is more important to find a reflective coating that provides high reflectivity for the long run. The longer the coating remains reflective, the greater cost savings and benefits you will gain. This is where dirt pickup resistance becomes important. A white reflective roofing product with good dirt pickup resistance is defined as having the ability to maintain it’s white color and appearance even after the roof has come in contact with dirt, dust, and other outside environmental conditions that could darken the surface.

Roof coatings need to have excellent dirt pick-up resistance in order to reflect the sun’s heat away from the building. The coating must remain white in color, allowing the minimal amount of heat absorption as possible, if the coating is expected to preform at a high level years after installation. The darker in color the surface becomes as a result of dirt pickup, the more heat it absorbs. A similar analogy to this is when you wear a white shirt on a hot day; it keeps you cooler than if you wore a dark colored shirt that same day. The more heat the building absorbs, the more energy usage is necessary to cool the inside of the building, increasing energy costs. Depending on the roof coatings dirt pick-up ability, you eventually will lose your “cool roof” and the air conditioning energy savings you were obtaining initially, will be lessened or lost completely.

National Coatings reflective roof coatings have been tested and rated by the CRRC to provide our customers with initial and 3 year results to prove and guarantee that our top coats provide industry leading UV protection, longevity and brightness. They are formulated for superior dirt pick-up resistance and protection against biological attach, such as algae and mold. For a list of our CRRC rated products, click here.

For more information on our Cool Roof Coating Systems and Products, download our FREE Product and Application Brochure!

National Coatings has conducted several tests in their lab, as well as, had their cool roof coatings tested by the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) and several other independent, non-biased organizations to determine and evaluate the results of their roof coatings against the sun’s destructive heat.  These tests have proven white roof coatings or cool roof coatings compared to un-coated, black rooftops provide building owners and tenants with significant benefits.

Cool Roof Coating benefits include:

• Air Conditioning Energy Consumption of the Building is Greatly Reduced
• Lengthen Roof Life - cool roof systems provide additional UV protection allowing the roof to remain more flexible and durable for longer
• Reduced Roof Maintenance Costs
• Environmentally Friendly – lowers surrounding air temperature around the building, reduces urban heat island effect and smog in populated areas
• Improves Comfort for Occupants Inside the Building
• Complies with Codes and Green Building Programs Nationally

A white surfaced, cool roof coating system with 100% of the sun’s radiated heat projected onto the roof top will absorb approximately 8% of the heat while immediately reflecting 92% of the sun’s heat back into the atmosphere, away from the roof. (These results are proved results based on using our AcryShield Ultra High Reflectance A590 roof coating.) This guarantee’s a cooler indoor ambient air temperature without any air conditioning usage. 

An un-coated, black roof surface with the exact same scenario absorbs 69% of the sun’s heat. That is 61% more heat absorbed into the building compared to the cool roof surface.  Black roofs are only able to reflect 31% of the sun’s heat away from the building, causing the inside of the building to heat up much quicker, requiring a larger amount of energy consumption to cool the building. This added heat absorption also leads to premature aging as the roof surface dries out and becomes brittle much quicker, losing it’s ability to expand and contract with the building during temperature changes.

Harbor Freight Tools in Camarillo, California experience this exact situation. They had a black BUR roof and restored it to new (avoiding a costly tear-off and business closure during application) with a Cool Roof Coating System and very impressed.

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. Click here to read their full Case Study for more information!

A reflective roof coating system is intended to reflect a majority of the sun’s heat away from the building, while only absorbing a very small percentage. In some cases, these coatings can reflect as much as 92% of the heat and absorb as little as 8% (both the AcryShield Ultra High Reflectance A590 and A179 can do just that!).  Reflecting the bulk of the sun’s heat allows the roof temperature and the inside of the building to remain much cooler throughout a hot sunny day.  When we installed our AcryPly Roof Restoration System on Harbor Freight’s 266,200 square foot building, Facilities Director, Jerry Moore noted, "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." (To read more about this case study, click here.)

A reflective roof coating system or “cool roof system” is beneficial to building occupants because they reduce energy costs by decreasing air conditioning usage, these systems improve employee comfort, especially in warehousing and other area’s that are not usually air conditioned, and the reflective capabilities deliver additional protection to your roof top, extending the lifespan of your roof. Building owners and tenants know how expensive energy costs can be, with a roofing system that can lower your indoor ambient air temperature by 15-20 degrees, you can reduce your energy cooling cost by 20% or more. Another long-term cost savings benefit is the ability to protecting your roof from premature aging. These reflective coatings protect your roof from the leading cause of roof failures – the sun’s heat. The sun’s heat causes a rooftop to lose its ability to remain flexible during temperature fluctuations, this causes the surface to dry out, split, crack and eventually leak.

These cool roof systems do not cost more than other traditional roofing options, in fact, they are generally less expensive to install, maintain and renew. A reflective roof coating system can be installed directly over your existing roof, avoiding any costly roof tear-off or replacement. Tear-off projects can cost you up to 50-70% more money than a reflective roof coating system would cost. These roof coating systems are also renewable, allowing you to maintain and restore your roof every 10 or so years, avoiding a tear-off indefinitely. (Read: Life Cycle Cost Analysis for further information on life cycle cost savings)

Cool roofing systems may also provide saving through rebates and incentives. You can check out DSIREUSA.ORG, a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Lastly, National Coatings has a Roof Energy Savings Tool called R.E.S.T. which is an innovative modeling tool developed by us to help building owners and facility professionals evaluate various roofing systems in terms of their impact on building energy use. Energy use and cost results from R.E.S.T. can be coupled with other cost data in a comprehensive and financially rigorous Roof Life-Cycle Cost Model. This R.E.A.P. (Roof Energy & Asset Performance) Analysis provides building professionals with today's dollars cost comparisons between roof options being evaluated.

If you are interested in receiving a comprehensive R.E.S.T. analysis, contact us today! For more information on Cool Roofing, download our Cool Roof Buyer’s Guide!