Roofing Institute studying reflectance
11/30/2006

Kansas City, MO - The Reflective Roof Coatings Institute
(RRCI) has announced its design parameters for a Field
Weathering Study of Roof Coatings. This study will measure
the impact of various factors on the loss of Solar
Reflectance (SR) over time. With the growth of the use of
highly reflective white roof coatings, which are the
primary means of turning all types of conventional dark
roofs into cool roofs, RRCI felt the need to conduct this
study to show the increased energy efficiency, the
positive environmental impact and increased roof longevity
that reflective roofs provide.
Factors included in the study will include various roof
substrates, film thickness of coating applied to the
substrate, different coating chemistries and climate.
Three reflective coating chemistries (Acrylic,
Polyurethane, Silicone) that have been applied over six of
the most common roof substrates, at three film
thicknesses, will be the focus of the study. Each of the
tests on these substrates will have controls that will
provide objective data. The test roofs will be located in
three distinct climates: arid southwest; humid southeast
and colder upper Midwest. The study will commence in early
2007 and continue for a period of three years with
analysis occurring at specified intervals. This will be
the first substantive study of the roofing industry to
measure the relative significance of factors that
influence loss in Solar Reflectance over time.