The NRCA Leadership and Workforce Development Catalog now is available for download.

Are ballasted roof systems cool?

To obtain a copy of a specific publication, users should contact the publication's publisher directly.

Abstract
It is well known that the mass of a ballasted roof can reduce peak roof temperatures and delay the heat flow into a building. However, ballasted roofs do not meet the requirements set out by the EPA and other organizations regareding being "cool roofs." To address whether ballasted roofing systems offer similar energy efficiency benefits as cool roofs, a project to perform side-by-side experiments was initiated. Three different weighting of ballasted roofs were installed next ot a paver system and black andwhite membranes. Data collection included continuous monitoring of temperatues, heat flows, and weather conditions as well as periodic verification of the surface properties (solar reflectance and infrared emittance). These data are needed to determine what impact a ballasted roof has on heat flow into a building and on roof surface temperature. Furthermore, comparisons between the ballasted and unballasted membranes will allow for an assessment of whether ballated systems perform as well as white membranes.
Date
2/2008
Author(s)
A Desjarlais; T Petrie; W Miller
Page(s)
51-
Keyword(s)
ballasted system; cool roof; temperature


Note: Documents in this section are provided as Adobe Acrobat PDF files. In order to print and view PDF files, the Adobe Acrobat Reader software/plugin, which runs on Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, OS/2 and various versions of UNIX, must be installed on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader is available for download as freeware from Adobe Acrobat's website. Please note that the resolution of on-screen versions is not as high as printed versions of PDF files.

Advertisement

Subscribe for Updates Join 25,000+ roofing professionals following NRCA

Subscribe to NRCA