Choosing Roofing Insulation

When choosing roofing insulation, the important options are composition and thermal characteristics.

Composition means what the insulation is made of, its stability and its compatibility with the roof membrane being installed. Thermal characteristics mean the R-value of the material. For instance, polystyrene insulation is not a good choice for use in built-up and modified-bitumen roofing systems as the insulation melts at the temperature of hot asphalt. But it is the best choice for inverted membrane roofs as its insulating value is not affected by water. Mechanically fastened and fully adhered single-ply membranes also are good matches with polystyrene.

Polyisocyanurate insulation is the most common board insulation used because it can be used with almost all types of membrane systems. With hot adhesives, however, it has to be paired with an insulation cover board of another type, such as perlite or wood fiber. Perlite and wood fiber are rarely used by themselves because of their low R-value. When high insulating value is not a requirement, such as unheated warehouses and storage facilities or when insulation board is needed solely to provide a smooth surface to apply a re-cover membrane over an existing roof, their low cost make them attractive. Perlite should not be used with PVC membranes, as the two are incompatible.

Foamed-in-place insulation is the material of choice when a liquid or spray-applied membrane roof is installed. Because the foam application is seamless, there are no insulation board joints for the liquid or spray-applied material to run down into.

Almost any insulation can be used in a tapered insulation system, used when the existing building deck is not structurally sloped to the drain or where deflection in the deck is causing areas of standing water. Perlite is a good choice as the tapered board because it is inexpensive. The insulating value can be met by an underlying layer of polyisocyanurate, leaving the perlite to form the slope. Foamed-in-place insulation is excellent for adding slope to a roof as it can be shaped on the roof to meet the precise requirements of deflected and oddly shaped roofs.

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Making Sense of Roofing Options

Once the decision is made to re-roof a building, the building owner or property/facility manager is faced with a dizzying number of options. The starting points for this analysis are the budget for the roofing project, the investment plan for the building, its construction, the climate it is in, the insurance carrier, and the building code jurisdiction. Each type of roofing system, including cool roofing options from Conklin, has pros and cons that make it more or less suitable for a given building. The trick is to find the option that comes closest to the requirements of a particular situation.

The first decision is whether to tear off the existing roof and start from the deck up, or to install a new roofing system over the existing one. There are valid reasons for tearing off the existing roof, and there are equally valid reasons for leaving it in place. Before making this decision, you should have a moisture survey performed on the existing roof — nuclear isotopic, infrared thermography or electrical capacitance — to evaluate the amount of moisture-laden materials in the roof.

When the area of wet roofing exceeds about 25% of the total roof area, the cost of repairing the wet areas begins to approach the cost of tear off. In that case, it makes no financial sense to re-cover the existing roof because the wet materials must be removed before reroofing.

On the other hand, if there is a mission-critical area under the failed roof, it may make more sense to leave the existing roof in place. It will provide some protection from weather and debris during the roofing installation. Mission-critical areas include switching stations, clean rooms, electronic-assembly areas and critical-care areas.

There are also many cases in which a tear off is the best course. If the deck is in marginal condition or if the condition is unknown, it makes more sense to tear off the existing roof to be able to inspect and repair the deck as the roof is replaced. If the construction of the building will not allow extra weight on the structure, a tear off is mandatory. The building code may require a tear off if there are existing layers of roofing on the building.

If the height of the finished roof elevation is already close to existing through-wall flashings or to the tops of equipment curbs, a re-cover will decrease this distance even further. Ponding water and wind-driven rain can overflow low flashings. Drifting snow can pile up against the walls and curbs, and as the snow melts it can also overflow the flashings. Re-covering the roof may bury through-wall flashings behind the new roof flashings, causing water that should be draining to the exterior to drain behind the roof into the building.

If there is any doubt about whether to re-cover or tear off, common sense says tear off the old roof because chances are good that the reason for the re-roofing is the existing roof has been leaking for a long time. A leaky roof is logically not a good foundation on which to build a new roof.

Once you have decided whether re-covering or replacement is the appropriate course, the options become more varied and the choices correspondingly more difficult. There are several types of roof decks and insulation, many types of membrane systems and different ways of installing them. There are multiple options within the options and, to top it off, several surfacing choices. To add to the confusion, there are many roofing manufacturers making or private-labeling many different brands of each of these items. So how do you choose?

First, it’s important to dispel the myth that there is a “best” roofing system. Any type of roofing system can provide an acceptable roof provided two conditions are met: First, it is an appropriate system for the building upon which it is applied and, second, it is installed properly.

Any discussion of roof system options means speaking in generalities. And for every generalization, there are exceptions. So “all” really means “almost all.” If a particular roof system type is not the best one for a certain application, don’t use it. Although any roof system can be forced onto any building, there’s no need to do it when there may be a better one available.

Also, remember to factor the influence of building codes and insurance requirements into the mix. These will often dictate when and where any particular system can be used and how it will be installed. It is important to consult a professional roofing contractor before making this critical decision.

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Elastomeric roof coatings last a long time, if not a lifetime

Elastomeric roof coatings like those from Conklin last longer than most products (such as asphalt coatings) typically used on flat roofs. Elastomeric coating has rubber-like properties that return it to their original dimensions after they are stretched or deformed. The coating expands and contracts with the surface to which it is applied.

Over time, heat, sunlight, and cracking due to expansion and contraction will degrade a roof. The traditional model was to tear off the aging roof and replace it after 15 or 20 years. But elastomeric coatings could last the lifetime of the building with regular maintenance, including the occasional cleaning with a hose or power washer and reapplying the coating every 10 or 15 years.

A mere 5-year increase in roof service life should reduce the cost of roofing by 21%, cutting landfill waste from roofing (roofing waste currently represents almost 4% of the total volume of solid wastes in the United States).

Nothing lasts forever, but proper maintenance can extend the life of just about everything - especially elastomeric roof coatings.

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20 Manhattan Roofs Go Green with White Roof Coatings

In what is deemed as a model program for energy conservation, the roofs of buildings on one block in the Lower East Side of Manhattan (New York) were be painted with white reflective paint, the Manhattan Borough President's office announced recently.

Borough President Scott Stringer, along with Go Green! Lower East Side and a coalition of community groups, announced that 35,000 square feet of rooftop space were be painted with white roof coatings like those from Conklin. The coatings reflect 90% of sunlight and are expected to reduce cooling costs and electricity bills for tenants at 20 buildings managed by the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association, a low-income housing management company that helps to preserve and develop affordable housing.

“White roof painting is a strategy that is environmental and economical,” said Mr. Stringer, in a press statement. “This is a model that can be replicated throughout New York City as a way to modernize and sustain our affordable housing stock.”

The 20 buildings are located on a single block, running from East Fourth and East Third streets between Second Avenue and the Bowery. The roofs were painted by volunteers from nonprofit groups FABnyc, The White Roof Project and NYC° CoolRoofs, a city initiative that encourages building owners to cool their rooftops by using reflective coatings.

“We welcome and enthusiastically support the White Roof Initiative, which will make our building roofs as much as 25% more energy efficient, thus lowering our electrical and fuel costs,” said Val Orselli, executive director of Cooper Square Mutual Housing, in a statement. “We are hopeful that this innovative program can be extended to the rest of our Lower East Side community.”

The roof painting is the first phase of an environmental sustainability program called the Model Block Project that will showcase a single block in New York City pursuing sound practices that enable residents to save money, as well as be environmentally conscious.

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What’s Next for Cool Roofs?

What is this?

In July 2010, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu launched an initiative to install cool roofs on DOE and government buildings. Recognition of the benefits of cool roofs like those from Conklin and the development of emerging technologies promises to transform the future marketplace. Several laboratories, universities and companies are already conducting research on new cool roof products, from self-cleaning to thermally sensitive materials to solar panels that take advantage of cool roofs.

Although they may seem like conflicting technologies, cool roofs can be complimentary to solar photovoltaic panels. According to the DOE, a cool roof can keep the roof surface 50% cooler than a dark roof under the same conditions. Solar panels may perform more efficiently and for a longer lifespan under the cooler conditions provided by a cool roof. Panels by California solar photovoltaic manufacturers Solyndra have even been developed with curved surfaces to take advantage of light refracted off the cool roof.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group is conducting research on the effects of dirt and algae on the roof surface over time, and it is working to develop an accelerated aging process. This can significantly decrease the aged testing timeline, allowing roofing manufacturers to design and improve product formulas without waiting three years for the aged performance. The Heat Island Group is also working on a self-cleaning surface for roofing materials to reduce the effects of weathering on solar reflectance values. The scientists at United Environment and Energy LLC are developing a coating that can recognize temperature changes to either reflect or absorb solar energy depending on what would be more advantageous for the building. The coating is created using waste cooking oil from restaurants and can be adapted to different climates with preset temperature thresholds. A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has focused on a similar concept, designing a roof tile that changes colors according to temperature. The tiles are made of common polymers encapsulated by a clear plastic top layer and black back layer. These are just a few examples of new technologies that are pushing roofing materials to have the ability to maintain high-performance after weathering while decreasing both cooling and heating loads for a building.

Despite the benefits of cool roofing, it is still a ways off from being adopted as a standard building practice. In the U.S., it faces barriers from misconceptions, aesthetic design concerns and moisture issues caused by non-comprehensive installations. Yet, cool roofing is a simple design measure that can provide significant energy savings and environmental rewards. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group estimates that buildings with cool roofs use up to 40% less cooling energy than buildings with dark colored roofs. A designer specifying a rooftop now has several resources available to make informed and confident cool roof choices.

With increasingly rigorous roofing code and program standards, and promising emerging technologies on the horizon, cool roofs are quickly becoming one of the most effective ways to save energy and help mitigate global warming.

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Cool Roof Resources

There are thousands of product options just for cool roofing (including Conklin), so specifying an appropriate roof can be a daunting task. Cool roofs are available in all colors for virtually every roofing type, although white is still the most efficient option.

You can gauge the energy performance abilities by understanding how a cool roof reflects and emits the sun’s heat back to the sky instead of transferring it to the building below. Once you understand the basic technology of cool roofing, there are several resources available to help you make a confident, informed decision on your next project.

Solar reflectance and thermal emittance are the two key metrics determining how “cool” a roof will stay by its ability to reflect solar energy and emit absorbed heat. Solar reflectance and thermal emittance will appear as a value between 0 and 1, with a higher value signifying a “cooler” roof. Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) is a third metric that is calculated using a product’s solar reflectance and thermal emittance values. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 100 with a higher number symbolizing a more energy-efficient roof. SRI is sometimes used by code bodies or green building programs in place of solar reflectance and thermal emittance as a single-value alternative. Cool roof standards often specify higher reflectance requirements for low-slope, flat rooftops versus steep-slope, pitched rooftops. This difference in values is due to the energy impact the surface type faces, as the flat surface of a low-slope rooftop is exposed to greater solar radiation than a pitched roof.

Another factor in which roofing products are unique is that they are exposed to outdoor conditions that may alter the energy performing ability of the product. Each product is therefore tested initially as available straight off the shelf, as well as after it has been weathered by outdoor elements. A study by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and DLR consultants found that the loss of effectiveness of solar reflectance for most roof types leveled out at around three years, so it is an industry standard to test roofing materials after three years of aging to determine their aged value. Code bodies sometimes reference this aged value, as it more accurately reflects the performance of the roof through its life cycle.

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) is a third-party rating program that works with manufacturers to rate their products’ solar reflectance and thermal emittance. The Rated Products Directory is a free online database of roofing products rated by the CRRC. Code bodies and voluntary green building programs define a cool roof by specifying a minimum value for initial and aged solar reflectance, thermal emittance and SRI, or a combination thereof. The CRRC does not set minimum standards for products to be listed on its Rated Products Directory, but provides unbiased and credible ratings for all products. You can search through more than 2,000 products by categories such as material type, color or manufacturer. You can even search by minimum initial or aged solar reflectance, thermal emittance or SRI value in order to fine-tune your search to products that meet a specific code or program standard.

While code bodies set cool roof minimum standards as guidelines, many people find it more realistic to specify a cool roof based on quantifiable benefits. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have both created cool roof calculators to determine energy and monetary savings based on climate, building size, HVAC equipment and other important factors.

• The DOE Cool Roof Calculator offers savings estimates for small- and medium-sized facilities with flat roofs.
• The EPA Roof Savings Calculator is designed for both residential and commercial buildings, and it allows you to define information about your existing and proposed roofs for comparison.

The cool roof calculators show the tangible savings gained from cool roofs, yet cool roofs offer several other environmental benefits. Eco-conscious designers may also want to consider the cradle-to-cradle aspects of their material choices, including recycled content, end of life recyclability and toxicity of materials.

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Roof Specification and Installation

Building owners and facilities or maintenance managers need to take into account the importance of quality assurance during roof system installation. Typically, quality assurance is provided by the roofing contractor, who is responsible for installing the roof according to the contract.

Many times a lack of supervision, training or poor crew morale can result in poor quality roof installation. On the other hand, hiring an outside roof-system design professional (an architect, engineer or roof consultant) can help a manager ensure quality control.

It is recommended in most cases that someone with roofing experience be on the jobsite throughout the duration of the project. Sometimes it is best to get a design professional involved early on in the project, possibly even having a designer prepare a job-specific detailed specification. This way the designer is familiar with the project from beginning to end and can control the installation of the roof system.

Even little things, such as making sure the contractor is using the materials specified for a particular job and using the correct amount of fasteners, asphalt or adhesives is important in ensuring a quality finished product. Using this type of professional enables managers to have an expert design a detail for those unique situations on a roof.

Although roofers are good at figuring out difficult details, others might simply throw materials together and call it "watertight". Some manufacturers can assist in selecting a particular roof system and preparing a site-specific specification. But other manufacturers merely push their product, which might or might not meet the needs of a particular building or facility.

A roof system design professional, on the other hand, has the knowledge of a wide variety of roofing manufacturers and roofing systems in the market. The designer will specify a roof that fits the needs and uniqueness of a given building and can offer a list of manufacturers from which to choose.

The specifier will design specific details for your building where a roofing contractor or manufacturer may overlook or try to get by with an inadequate standard detail.

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