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View Poll Results: Do you have a Cool or Green Roof?
I have a standard construction roof. 16 88.89%
I have a cool roof built with solar efficient materials. 1 5.56%
I have a green (planted) roof. 0 0%
I am planning a new cool or green roof for my home or office. 1 5.56%
Voters: 18. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-10-08, 02:08 PM   #1
TimJFowler
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Default Cool Roof: Pro-Panel vs. Asphalt Shingle

We recently had the roof on our house replaced/rebuilt. Since we live in the southwest (New Mexico) summer heat gain is a BIG issue. We chose a Galvalume finish metal panel (aka Pro-panel) to replace the brown asphalt shingles.

While I've always known that an asphalt shingled roof (or attic) is a hot place to be in the summer, until I did some research I had no idea how much of a heat sink they are. The 'Autumn Brown' asphalt shingles on our roof had a Solar Reflectance of 9.6% and Infrared Emittance of 91%. The new 'Galvalume' metal roof has a Solar Reflectance of 60.9% and Infrared Emittance of 25%. While we didn't choose the most efficient metal panels available, they are Energy Star rated.

I've posted an article on our new roof with links to Cool Roof calculators and solar efficiency data on roofing materials here - Cool Roof: Pro-Panel vs. Asphalt Shingle | EcoDaddyo.com.

What sort of roof do you have and are you looking into cool or green roofing materials?

Tim

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Old 12-10-08, 06:14 PM   #2
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I have standard construction, black roof. It was replaced this year not long before I bought the house. If I had my pick, I would have at least gone with a grey/white color.
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Old 12-11-08, 12:18 AM   #3
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I had most of my roof replaced last year after a massive hailstorm. I still need to replace the roof on my back deck. My climate is a *wee* bit colder than yours so I just had them replaced with medium grey asphalt shingles. I probably should have gone with something darker for increased solar gain in the winter but it matches the rest of the neighbourhood. However, I will be replacing the fibreglass roof over my deck with greenhouse glazing, I expect it will be excessively hot in the middle of winter but should extend the usability of the desk earlier in the spring and later in the fall.
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Old 12-11-08, 10:00 AM   #4
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I'd like to eventually replace mine with something that is both non-toxic to water runoff so that I can collect and use cleaner rainwater during the summer, and also that can do some type of solar paneling. We live in a cold climate as well, so something that can handle that type of weather.
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Old 12-11-08, 10:08 AM   #5
TimJFowler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knowbodies View Post
My climate is a *wee* bit colder than yours so I just had them replaced with medium grey asphalt shingles. I probably should have gone with something darker for increased solar gain in the winter but it matches the rest of the neighbourhood.
Well, Santa Fe is at 7,000 ft elevation in the foothills of the Rocky Mtns. so it gets cold here too. But, I'm willing to bet that Saskatchewan is colder most of the time.

From the reading I've done, any heat gain from your roof would (or should) be blocked by attic insulation. Solar heat gain can be a great thing, but the house must be designed for it in the first place. As I understand it, you want a cold roof surface to avoid ice dams driving water into the shingles and sheathing, with a well insulated attic to keep the house warm.

Tim
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Old 12-11-08, 10:13 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Higgy View Post
I'd like to eventually replace mine with something that is both non-toxic to water runoff so that I can collect and use cleaner rainwater during the summer, and also that can do some type of solar paneling. We live in a cold climate as well, so something that can handle that type of weather.
We went chose metal panels (Pro-Panel) for precisely that reason. Metal Panels are long lasting, non-toxic with respect to rainwater and "cool" if you pick the right color. We are collecting rainwater off the roof to irrigate the garden. In fact, I need to add capacity to the system as our rain barrels filled after one storm!

I wrote about our rainwater catchment set up here - Happiness is a Full Rain Barrel | EcoDaddyo.com
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Old 12-12-08, 03:16 PM   #7
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I actually got to see the green roof on the new science museum thingy in golden gate park recently and it was pretty inspiring...However, this house just got a new roof. Perhaps I can convince my mom to put solar on the farm when she moves back out there. We've got plenty of roof space with all the buildings...
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Old 02-13-10, 04:49 PM   #8
AC_Hacker
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Default Aluminum Shingles

My roof is aluminum shingles, called Aluma-Lock. They were formerly owned and built in Portland, Oregon, but are now owned by a company in Utah, though still made in Oegon. The new owners of the company raised the price of the shingles too high. Free market economy, yeah, right...

Their main benefit is that they last for a VERY long time. The house across the street from me uses these shingles, and they were put on nearly 60 years ago. The picture below shows this nearly 60 year old roof...


So really, it looks like it did when it was installed.

I didn't choose the "mill finish" aluminum, instead I chose green. A big mistake because of heat gain. Also, unfortunately because of the way they fasten together, they don't readily lend themselves to solar installations.

I'll think choose another roofing method as soon as these things wear out.

Regards,

-AC_Hacker

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