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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Cool Roof Resources for Federal Agencies

Photo of a white industrial building with a white roof featuring photovoltaic panels on top. The building stands on a verdant lot of land with a parking lot to the right.

Photovoltaics sit on the "cool roof" of the Environmental Protection Agency's Research Triangle Park facility.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced a series of initiatives in July 2010 to more broadly implement cool roof technologies on DOE facilities and across the Federal Government. As part of that effort, Secretary Chu directed all DOE offices to install cool roofs, whenever cost effective over the lifetime of the roof, when constructing new or replacing old roofs.

Guidelines for Selecting Cool Roofs are available (PDF 909 KB). Download Acrobat Reader.

Many types of sustainable roofs exist, including white roofs, green roofs, and roofs with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and/or solar hot water systems. Cool roofs strongly reflect sunlight (have high "solar reflectance") and efficiently emit thermal radiation (have high "thermal emittance"). By cooling the roof and reducing heat transfer into the building, cool roofs reduce the cooling load of the facility's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system thereby saving energy and money while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

While cool roofs often reduce cooling loads caused by solar gains on the building roof, it is important to conduct modeling to ensure optimum results. Cool roofs may increase energy consumption in high-altitude or northern-latitude areas. FEMP recommends Federal agencies conduct site-specific modeling during the cool roof assessment phase.

FEMP assembled this list of cool roof resources to help Federal energy managers learn more about cool roof technologies and how they can be deployed.

Technology Overview

The following resources provide descriptive overviews of cool roof technologies:

  • Guidelines for Selecting Cool Roofs (PDF 909 KB): Guide to understanding, evaluating, and implementing cool roof technologies.

  • Cool Roofs are Ready to Save Energy, Cool Urban Heat Islands, and Help Slow Global Warming (PDF 1.3 MB): DOE Building Technologies Program fact sheet about cool roofs, including how they work, the energy-saving benefits, and how to buy and select cool roofs.

  • Cool Roof Questions and Answers (PDF 290 KB): Answers to common questions on cool roof technologies and deployments prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

  • Potential Benefits of Cool Roofs on Commercial Buildings: Conserving Energy, Saving Money, and Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants: Article in the journal Energy Efficiency detailing the energy and environmental benefits of cool roofs written by Ronnen Levinson and Hashem Akbari.

  • Cool Roofs will Revolutionize the Building Industry (PDF 119 KB): Fact sheet on cool roof applications within the building industry prepared by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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Buying Guide

Photo of four man installing white roof sheets on top of a flat roof. One man is drilling the sheets to attach them to the sub-roof. Trees stand in the background.

Workers install a white roof in Atlanta, Georgia.

The following buying guides provide instructions for the Federal procurement of cool roof technologies:

  • FEMP Energy-Efficient Products: How to Buy Energy-Efficient Cool Roof Products (PDF 72 KB): Fact sheet containing Federal agency guidelines for buying cool roof products to save operating costs and energy.

  • ENERGY STAR® Reflective Roof Products for Consumers: Overview of reflective roof products as defined and qualified by the ENERGY STAR program.

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Federal Applications

The following resources provide Federal case studies of cool roof technologies:

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Additional Information

The following resources provide additional information on cool roof technologies and deployment activities:

  • FEMP Focus Summer 2008 Issue (PDF 1.9 MB): FEMP newsletter covering energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies, tactics, and technologies to meet Federal energy management goals.

  • Emerging Technologies for Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPCs) in the Federal Sector (PDF 422 KB): Report developed for FEMP by the Alliance to Save Energy with energy-saving technology recommendations for ESPC or utility energy services contracts financed Federal facility retrofits.

  • Selling Energy-Efficient Products to the Federal Government (PDF 808 KB): Reference guide providing basic information on how to do business with Federal agencies regarding energy-efficient products.

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Resource Links

The following links provide additional sources for cool roof information:

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Contacts

For additional information, contact:

Cyrus Nasseri
U.S. Department of Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
202-586-9138
cyrus.nasseri@ee.doe.gov