White Roof image gallery

Did you know?

• What is the “heat island effect”?

  Many cities and built-up areas like suburbs have converted natural habitats or fields into roads, parking lots and buildings. These hard surfaces absorb and hold the sun’s energy, increasing local temperatures. This in turn increases the energy consumption of the homes and buildings located in that area as their mechanical systems seek to remove the heat from these buildings to keep occupants comfortable.

  

  There are many ways to decrease this effect. Vegetated green roofs mimic the pre-built condition of a space and are aesthetically pleasing. Mature trees can shade hard surfaces and reduce the associated heat gain. White pavers decrease surface temperatures on parking lots and patios. White roofs on commercial applications can reflect much of the thermal energy that would otherwise be absorbed by the building.

  Many of these strategies also serve to reduce the runoff associated with traditional black hardscapes, reducing the amount and size of infrastructure required to deal with large volumes of storm water.

• White Roofs work in cold climates too

  The second story of the Earth Rangers Centre is protected from the elements by a White TPO membrane. This membrane reflects the sun throughout the year, reducing cooling requirements in the summer. This makes intuitive sense in cooling dominated climates, where it is desirable to keep the building as cool as possible for a majority of the year.

  

  Some have argued that a black roof is preferable in heating dominated climates such as that of Southern Ontario. Research from the Department of Energy suggests that energy savings accrued during the heating season more than offset losses during winter months, when many roofs will have a natural White Roof during winter months thanks to snow cover.