The Roofing Resource Blog

The Energy Advantages of Flat Roof Coatings

Mon, Dec 22, 2014 @ 07:30 AM | Exterior Pro Roofing

Flat roof coatings have revolutionized the way flat roofing protects businesses. No longer are such roofs subject to frequent leaks and repairs. Today's flat roof coating and flat roofs create a impermeable barrier between the snow, sleet and rain and your building. However, keeping your office, warehouse or retail outlet dry isn't the only advantage to installing a flat roof coating. This type of roofing material can also help you to conserve energy and save on your energy bills as well as reduce the entire nation's need for energy.

Energy benefits of flat roof coatings

1. Light colored roofing material reflects light and helps keep your building cool in hot weather. A light-colored roof coating, also known as a cool roof, will cause the top of your building to gain, on average, less than 10 degrees on a hot (85-degree) summer's day. In contrast, a black tar roof will cause the top of your building to almost double in temperature on that same day. This not only wastes the energy necessary to keep your offices and floor space cool against that onslaught of heat, but also the energy used and carbon emissions formed in the production of that energy.

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Although you'll hear arguments that a light-colored roof will require more energy to heat in the winter, the evidence doesn't support these claims.

2. Flat roof coatings last longer than traditional black tar roofs. Because a flat roof coating lasts an average of 30-50 years compared to a 10-15-year life expectancy of a traditional tar and gravel roof, fewer resources are required to produce replacement roofing materials when you opt for a flat roof coating.

3. Light-colored roof coating helps your cooling system to last longer. Since a cool roof reflects (rather than absorbs) 80 to 85 percent of the sun's rays, having such a roof puts less strain on your central cooling system, reducing the necessary maintenance and extending the lifespan of your cooling system. Less stress on your cooling system not only means less energy usage, but also less energy used in manufacturing air conditioning systems in general.

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Flat roof coatings have made owning a building with a flat roof a non-issue rather than something to avoid. In addition to their water-tight properties, this type of roofing material is also very energy efficient, both to you the business owner and to society in general by reducing the amount of roofing materials--and thus energy--needed over the course of your roof's lifespan.