International.
Researchers suggest reflective rooftop coatings to reduce the "heat island" effect, even in snow-capped cities for several months of the year.
A new study published by Concordia researchers in Energy and Buildings confirms that, contrary to the belief that cold roofs won't work in colder climates, they actually provide net – and monetary – energy savings.
"The use of cool roof in a commercial building in cold climates is typically unsubstantiated based on the presumption that heating penalties may be higher than cooling savings," says Hashem Akbari, a professor in the Department of Construction Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering.
"Our research shows that any improvement to a roof that limits solar heat gain in summer actually translates into energy cost savings for the building owner, as well as a reduction in the building's overall environmental impact."
For the study, the researchers used a software model to simulate energy consumption for several offices and prototype commercial buildings in four cold-climate cities in North America: Anchorage, Milwaukee, Montreal and Toronto. There they found that fresh roofs for the simulated buildings resulted in annual energy cost savings across all municipalities.
Source: www.sciencedirect.com
