Cool Metal Roof Options
Whether you are building a new home or business or just doing a little remodeling, you’re likely to be overwhelmed by all the choices you need to make in selecting colors, materials and finishes. While you’re probably thinking about the looks of your new metal building first, it’s important to remember that choosing the right finishes can make a major impact on how your building functions over the years. When you’re choosing your finishes, keep durability, sustainability and energy costs in mind as well.
One of the most important aspects of your building, when it comes to energy efficiency especially, is the metal roof you choose. No, not all metal roofing is the same. One of the most exciting roofing systems Worldwide Steel offers is a Central States® cool roof system.
Roofing material can have a huge impact on future energy consumption of the building. That’s where Cool Metal Roofing comes in. A cool roof is one that delivers more solar reflectance, compared to other roofing systems, which leads to decreased energy costs, more comfortable air temperatures in buildings without air conditioning, and lower temperature of the metal roof itself (meaning a lower solar reflectance index). That may contribute to green building initiatives beyond your steel structure, like lower local air temperature and higher energy efficiency for your area (talk to us about the urban heat island effect if you want to learn more) and reduced greenhouse emissions.
Cool roofs usually work by using lighter pigments that reflect sunlight, instead of the traditional darker roofing choices that absorb solar energy and draw heat into the building. Modern cool roof systems, however, can be almost any color.
When sunlight hits a cool roof, some heat is transferred to the building underneath, just like with any metal roof. But a cool roof means more solar reflectance (the energy that is reflected by the roof) and more thermal emittance (the roof’s ability to radiate the heat it has absorbed).
Is A Cool Roof Right for my Metal Building Project?
When you’re debating roofing systems for your metal building project, you should give a cool roof some serious consideration. Especially if you’re constructing a building that won’t have air conditioning, a cool roof and the solar reflectance it provides is a good way to make the building more comfortable on hot summer days. The durability of our cool roofing systems is no different than that of our other metal roofing systems, so you don’t need to worry about how it will hold up over the years. What you will notice over the years is energy savings. Even for new homeowners who do plan to install air conditioning, these roofing systems can make a major difference in your energy costs, especially cooling costs, just like energy-efficient windows can. And if you’re building a new metal roof anyway, a cool roof often won’t cost significantly more than any other metal roofing products. If you’re building a steel building in which LEED green building designation would be a benefit, cool roofing may reduce energy use enough to help you get there.
Worldwide Steel Buildings Cool Roof Products
Worldwide Steel uses only ENERGY STAR® qualified roof products on our metal building kits.
ENERGY STAR® qualified roof products reduce the amount of air conditioning needed in buildings, and can reduce energy bills by up to 50% (Energy Star®).
A metal roof from Central States® can help you save money on utility bills and is available in several ENERGY STAR® rated colors.
Central States® roofing panels are known as cool roofs because the color of the panels reflects sunlight and cools the surface by emitting radiation to its surroundings – which means the roof literally stays cooler (Cool Roof Rating Council) and allows less heat into the building.
Rest assured, building owners: like every other aspect of our metal building kits, your metal roofing system is covered under a limited warranty. So you can choose sustainability while also choosing durability, quality and high-quality American-made materials.
To learn more about cool roof panels and whether they might be right for your metal building project, give us a call today at 800-825-0316 for a free quote.
