The cool roof method made its appearance in France several years ago. Coming straight from the USA, this solution involves covering flat roofs with white paint to reduce their interior temperature. But does the color of the roof really influence the amount of heat absorbed? The simple answer is yes, if you use the right processes. For example, a roof painted white with a suitable paint will absorb much less heat than one in darker shades. This can reduce your energy consumption in hot weather.
What is a cool roof?
The cool roof is a complementary insulation method to waterproofing. It is used for flat roofs and roof terraces.
It acts as an additional thermal barrier, particularly useful in hot weather. Its purpose is to reflect the sun's rays to limit the temperature rise within the building.
This method is ideal for flat roofs in large cities such as Paris or Lyon. In fact, these urban areas experience significant temperature rises during heatwaves. The use of cool roofs enables them to enhance the thermal efficiency of their buildings at lower cost, and without having to invest in an air-conditioning solution.
Cool roof can be applied to a variety of flat roof insulation solutions, including :
- Bituminous waterproofing solutions;
- EPDM membranes;
- PVC membranes...
Does the color of the roof really influence the amount of heat absorbed?
If the cool roof helps reduce heat in a building, it's thanks to the color of the paint used. In fact, a cool roof solution is installed by applying paint to a flat roof.
This paint can't be just any shade; it has to be white and have very specific technical characteristics. At Covalba, we use a cool roof paint with a high percentage of reflectivity.
This percentage has a strong influence on the amount of heat absorbed. In fact, with a reflectivity level of 95%, the white heat-absorbing paint used is capable of repelling the sun's rays and preventing them from heating up the interior of the building. Roof color is therefore closely linked to the amount of heat absorbed.
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