It found that a clean white roof that reflects 80 of sunlight will stay about 31c cooler on a summer afternoon.
White roof reflects heat.
A black roof by contrast can.
According to lawrence berkeley laboratories white coated roofs can reflect 60 to 85 percent of the solar energy that hits them and stay as little as nine degrees above air temperature.
You can usually make a new or existing roof cool by selecting the appropriate surface.
Likewise a roof painted in whit will be cooler inside than that of a darker shade.
White is the most reflective color and white metal roofing can actually lower the ambient temperature in the home by reflecting more of the sun s rays into the environment.
Generally white materials reflect more light than dark ones and this is also true for buildings and infrastructure.
Dark colored roofs by contrast typically reflect 20 percent of sunlight or less and a black asphalt roof reflects only 5 percent.
A white roof reflects around 85 of the sunlight that hits it at least when it s clean and heats to just a few degrees warmer than the outside air temperature.
Still the shine of bright white on a roof is imposing and can take away from the overall aesthetic of the house.
There are many types of roof systems available but the surface exposed to the sun is the one that determines if a roof is cool or not.
The conditions would of course be very different in california to those found in.
By fred pearce march 7 2018.
Cool roof coatings are white or special reflective pigments that reflect sunlight.
But new research indicates that making surfaces more light reflecting can have a significant impact on lowering extreme temperatures not just in cities but in rural areas as well.
Not only that but white paints also reflect heat at infrared wavelengths which a human eye cannot see and.