Today there are cool roof options for almost every type of low and steep sloped roof surface and the multitude of health and energy efficiency benefits make specifying a cool roof additionally appealing. Modified bitumen and Built-Up Roofing (BUR) products may be known more for their durability, thermal performance and fire and wind resistance than their energy performance ability. However, an increasing number of manufacturers are creating cool modified bitumen and BUR products that can more effectively reflect the sun’s heat away from a building.

Cool roof options can lower the roof surface temperature by 70°F, compared to a standard black asphalt roof. This can have an immense impact on the temperature fluctuations of a roofing system, leading to lower maintenance costs, longer roof life and a decrease in cooling loads. As cool roof requirements become increasingly common in building codes and voluntary green programs, it is important to understand their benefits and how they work, as well as are aware of resources that make it easy to specify cool roof systems.