The COOL-R cool roof technology is a highly-reflective roof coating which reduces the temperature of interiors by up to 10°C. Guarantee of considerable savings convinces entrepreneurs to introduce a modern alternative to AC or significant improvements to its effectiveness.
Is your production hall too hot? Yes, we know this problem. In the summer, the temperature under the roof can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius. Employees find it hard to work in the heat, and AC installation and operation costs are mind-boggling.
There are two pieces of news: good and bad. Let us start with the less optimistic one. It is not going to get any colder. The climate is changing and average summer temperatures are constantly rising. Strong sunlight heats building roofs and, as a result, the rooms inside them. An overheated roof ages faster and a high temperature may cause damage to goods, decreased well-being of people and animals, as well as higher costs of cooling.
There is, however, some good news. We have a modern, simple and effective solution which helps owners of production plants, warehouses, supermarkets, refrigeration plants or livestock buildings introduce considerable savings. It is the COOL-R cool roof technology. How does it work and how much can you save by using it? Let us have a closer look at this innovative alternative to AC.
THE SECRET LIES NOT JUST IN COLOUR
COOL-R forms a tight roof coating without joints, resistant to water and UV radiation. It creates a high-quality shield reflecting sunlight. Thanks to that, we are able to reduce the temperature of the roof coating and the interior under the roof. The results are impressive. COOL-R has a very high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI=107). It is able to reflect 86% of sunlight, which results in the reduction of temperature of up to 10 degrees Celsius under the roof.
As usual, the secret lies in the details. The roof surface temperature depends not only on the colour of the material utilised but also its texture. In the summer, a coating made of metal sheets or synthetic membranes in shades of grey reaches the average temperature of 40°C. In identical conditions, a coating made of bitumen or anthracite metal sheets reaches up to 80°-85°C. Colour is not the only factor that matters; the roof coating material structure and its emissivity (the speed and effectiveness of emitting the absorbed heat) do, too. COOL-R forms a white coating with high emissivity which also reflects most of light energy, preventing the increase of roof temperature.
It does not matter whether the roof is new or renovated, covered with bituminous mass, membranes, roofing felt or metal sheets. It is very easy to apply. The COOL-R roof coating can be spread using a roller or sprayed, and the surface becomes resistant to rain after only 90 minutes.
BENEFITS AND PROFITS
Industrial facilities require a stable temperature during most of the year, which results in high energy consumption or adoption of solutions with limited effectiveness, such as mechanical ventilation. There are buildings where it is impossible to install air conditioning due to limitations arising from technical requirements or when the investment cost is too high for the entrepreneur. Moreover, air conditioning equipment is not suitable for the increasingly frequent extreme temperatures. Its performance drops significantly when the condenser unit is placed on an overheated roof.
By lowering the interior temperature with the COOL-R cool roof technology we can introduce considerable savings. As a result of a lower thermal balance of the building, we can use smaller air conditioning systems or remove the installation altogether. We are also avoiding operational costs. Not only those related to the operation and maintenance of air conditioning equipment, but also the costs of roof coating. By eliminating the two main factors contributing to the ageing of roofs — high temperature and UV radiation — we increase their durability by up to 25 years.
A cool roof also means improved comfort of work for your employees. In rooms with appropriate temperature, employees work more efficiently and it is easier to avoid production downtime. Moreover, COOL-R is an environmentally-friendly solution, which improves the image of the company. Thanks to the cool roof technology, we reduce the amount of energy consumed by air conditioning equipment, which results in the reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. An additional benefit is the fact that it provides additional points for LEED and BREEAM certification. COOL-R also has the Environmental Product Declaration type II and III.
THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
How does COOL-R perform in reality? We decided to test it together with experts from the Architecture and Environmental Engineering department of Lodz University of Technology. We wanted to verify its effectiveness on a building without air conditioning and one with AC installed.
To perform the first test we used a poultry farm building with 3,600 m2 of roof surface, covered with galvanised trapezoidal sheets. In this building, the overheated roof had decreased effectiveness and caused livestock losses. After applying the COOL-R coating, the temperature under the surface of the roof was reduced from 46°C to the maximum of 24°C, and the threat to the animals was eliminated.
For the second analysis, we used estimated annual savings data in an air-conditioned warehouse building located in Wrocław, Poland. The investor decided to cover 20,000 m2 of the surface of the roof with the COOL-R coating to reduce the temperature inside the warehouse. The costs of AC operation decreased drastically. The data shared demonstrates that AC operation savings for that company amounted to ca. 50 000 € annually.
Each case should be considered on an individual basis but our analysis shows that COOL-R can actually and effectively help companies introduce savings related to the operation of AC equipment. Add extra hydroisolation and improved roof durability for 25 years as further savings and the result is a fantastic investment with a quick return of incurred costs. Easy application and additional benefits caused by improved work quality of your employees make COOL-R a solution worth recommending to every entrepreneur looking for savings and an alternative to air conditioning. There is one thing we know for sure — we will not have to wait long for another hot summer.
