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In This Issue:General Updates / AdministrativeThe Rated Products Directory Now Includes SRICool Roofs Featured in CNBC and the Washington PostAnnual Renewals Start November 17thTechnical UpdateTechnical Committee HighlightsRatings, Codes and ProgramsENERGY STAR UpdateCool Roof Law Proposed in MontrealWhite Roof AllianceMembership and OutreachSeptember BOD Meeting UpdateIndustry InsightsQ–Lab Weathering Research ServiceAtlas Weathering Services GroupGeneral Updates / AdministrativeThe Rated Products Directory
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| Payment received by | Late Fee |
| February 1, 2011 | None |
| March 1, 2011 | 1% of total payment |
| April 1, 2011 | 2% of total payment |
| May 1, 2011 | Termination with a 3% of total payment reactivation fee |
If payment is not received by May 1, 2011 we will terminate membership and/or licensee status and all products, as applicable. In order to reinstate your status after termination, companies must pay the full renewals invoice amount in addition to a reactivation fee.
If you have any questions or concerns at any point in the Renewals process, please do not hesitate to contact Alexis at alexis@coolroofs.org or (510) 482-4420 x279.
Technical Update
Technical Committee Highlights
The CRRC Technical Committee held two meetings this fall: a conference call on August 4th, and an in-person meeting in San Francisco on September 29th. The next scheduled meeting will be a conference call in March 2011. Technical Committee meetings are open to all interested participants. If you would like to be added to the Technical Topics mailing list, please contact Jennifer Wang at jennifer@coolroofs.org.
CRRC Studies
The CRRC is conducting several ongoing studies. Two of these studies, a Round Robin study of the Transient Method Modification for C1371 and a study of E1918 using an indoor solar simulator at Atlas Weathering Services Group, are expected to be completed by January 2011. For more information on these studies, please contact Karl Skare at karl@coolroofs.org.
Ratings for Cedar Roofing Products
The CRRC is working with the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau to develop a rating method for cedar roofing products. Natural wood products present some new challenges in solar performance rating, due to the inherent color variability, significant color change after aging, and other material properties. CRRC staff are working with the Bureau to gather some preliminary data in order to help inform the Technical Committee in their efforts to develop a rating procedure for these products.
Predictive Aging Formulas
The Cool Metal Roofing Coalition has presented to the CRRC a proposal for a mathematical calculation to predict the impact of aging on the solar performance of coated metal products. The Technical Committee discussed this proposal during the September 29, 2010 meeting and agreed that the CRRC should research the development of predictive aging formulas for all product types. A Technical Committee task group has convened to develop a quality assurance program that can ensure ongoing rigor for products that receive a calculated aged rating. If you would like to be involved in this task group, please contact Jennifer Wang at jennifer@coolroofs.org.
Coordination with ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR, which is managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is currently developing a verification program for all product programs. The CRRC has been working with the EPA towards coordinating the ENERGY STAR roofing program with the existing CRRC rating program. For more information, please see the September BOD Meeting Update in this newsletter, or contact Sherry Hao at sherry@coolroofs.org.
V6 Reflectometer Study
A new Reflectometer has been released which is designed to yield more accurate Solar Reflectance readings than the V5 Reflectometer. The CRRC is currently performing a study to compare the SR calculated by the V6 Reflectometer to the SR calculated by the V5 Reflectometer. The V6 Reflectometer also features an emulation mode which is designed to reproduce the results that V5 would have generated for that sample. In this study, the V6 emulation mode results will also be compared to those of V5 to see how well V6 is able to replicate V5 results.
Please note, the V5 Reflectometer has been used to produce the majority of CRRC reflectance ratings. For those AITLs who have purchased or upgraded their reflectometer to version 6, we are asking them to produce ratings using the V5 emulation mode to ensure consistency across CRRC ratings. This policy will be employed until the CRRC Technical Committee and Board have had a chance to discuss the Reflectometer Study analysis.
Ratings, Codes and Programs
ENERGY STAR Update
In early October, the CRRC submitted a comment letter to the EPA regarding the draft Partner Commitment and Product Specification for Roofing Products. We highlighted our concerns with the proposed roofing product program specifications, as the draft proposal contains conflicting on–site test protocol and methods from the current CRRC program. The CRRC encourages all our members and licensees to be active in the EPA verification development process, especially during this period where EPA is formulating the criteria for the Qualified Roof Program.
Please monitor the EPA verification webpage for updates (www.energystar.gov/testingandverification), or sign up with the EPA to receive notices.
Cool Roof Law Proposed in Montreal
Rosemont-Petite Patrie, a borough in Montreal, may become the newest jurisdiction with a cool roof mandate. Mayor Francois Croteau has proposed a bylaw requiring all new roofs to be cool. Croteau cites public health, environmental and energy efficiency benefits. According to the article, currently about 121 Montrealers pass away due to extreme heat and 818 from air pollution related diseases each year. If temperatures increase, the Urban Heat Island Effect and global warming could amplify these numbers by 30 percent by 2050. Croteau believes the bylaw will be easily passed. More details about the proposed law can be read in the Montreal Gazette here.
White Roof Alliance
In this edition we are delighted to welcome a guest submission by Amy Dickie, Senior Associate at California Environmental Associates, announcing the creation of the White Roofs Alliance.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the White Roofs Alliance, a new global initiative dedicated to advancing policies and actions that increase the solar reflectance of our buildings and pavements as a low– or no–cost way to promote cool buildings, cool cities, and, most importantly, to mitigate the effects of climate change through global cooling.
The White Roofs Alliance (WRA) will pursue this mission through the development of five different program areas which together are designed to ensure that a range of mechanisms, from municipal action to advancements in research and development, act in concert to accelerate the adoption of cool roofs. Specifically, WRA will work towards the following actions:
| 1) | 100 Cool Cities– Recruit and obtain commitments from 100 major cities – “100 Cool Cities” – across the globe by 2015, with widespread installation of cool surfaces by 2020. | |
| 2) | National action - Advance national regulatory and legislative actions that support the implementation of cool surfaces by 2020, in the US and other key countries. | 3) | Building and pavement codes – Promote the inclusion of cool surfaces, such as white roofs, in all US and international building and pavement codes globally by 2015, with initial focus on US, China and India. |
| 4) | Financial mechanisms – Develop financial mechanisms that broadly support the installation of cool surfaces by 2015, in the US and other key countries. | |
| 5) | Research and development - Ensure that research and development on cool surfaces is well supported and well disseminated. |
The White Roofs Alliance was launched in the summer of 2010 and is currently working to build its programs. Already, WRA has provided technical input into the energy and finance bills before the US Congress in the summer and fall of 2010, and secured three founding members of its 100 Cool Cities network (Athens, New York City, and Taipei).
The White Roofs Alliance looks forward to collaborating with the Cool Roof Rating Council.
Please find us on-line at WhiteRoofsAlliance.org.
Amy Dickie
Senior Associate
California Environmental Associates
Membership and Outreach
September BOD Meeting Update
The Board participated in a September 21st conference call meeting where the following topics were discussed:
Class B Board Position Vacancy
Richard Lee announced his resignation from his position as a Class B Board member, opening up the discussion for Board members to determine who would fill this vacancy. The Board reviewed a handful of eligible and qualified candidates. Roofing Consultants Institute (RCI) representative Phil Dregger was selected to serve in this capacity. In early October Phil Dregger accepted the Class B position, agreeing to complete Richard Lee’s term until 2012. As customary under CRRC protocol, the membership must vote to approve Phil Dregger in the 2011 election.
The CRRC would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Lee for the time and effort he dedicated to the CRRC as a Board member (from 2007 to 2010), as well as our Board Chairman (from 2008 to 2009).
CRRC & ENERGY STAR
On August 31st, the EPA released their final criteria for Certification Bodies, as well as the application to become an EPA accredited Certification Body (www.energystar.gov/testingandverification).
The CRRC, as a third party rating system for roofing materials, is eligible to serve as an EPA Certification Body for their Qualified Roof Program. At the September BOD meeting, the Board discussed the benefits and potential barriers to the CRRC taking on this role with ENERGY STAR and voted to approve the CRRC applying to become an EPA Certification Body. In order to be accepted as a Certification Body, the CRRC must also become ISO 65 accredited. Therefore, in the coming months the CRRC will apply to both accreditation processes.
The next Board meeting is scheduled as an in-person meeting on November 19th, in conjunction with the Greenbuild Conference. The BOD meeting will be held at the Chicago South Loop Hotel. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email Sherry Hao at sherry@coolroofs.org to register.
Industry Insights
This section provides Class B members an opportunity to share their insights on trends and new developments in the cool roofing industry. In this edition we are pleased to bring you an inside look at our two accredited test farms. The first contribution is from Matthew Friday, Technical Director at Q-Lab Weathering Research Service. The second is from Rich Slomko, NA Testing Leader of Atlas Weathering Services Group.
A Test Farm in the 21st Century —
Q–Lab Weathering Research Service
A Test Farm in the 21st Century —
Q–Lab Weathering Research Service
Test Farm is a term that has been used in the weathering industry for many years. It may have originated from the observation that rows of exposure racks resemble rows of crops. Exposure racks were originally called Test Fences. For architectural coatings, exposures were often conducted on vertical wooden racks to simulate the side of a house. As one would expect, these racks resembled fences; hence the term Test Fence. Later it was discovered that a rack tilted at an angle, such as 45°, would receive more solar radiation. Racks tilted to 45° do not resemble a fence but the term Test Fence is still used by some industries.
Test Farms are much more sophisticated than they were in the early days of outdoor weathering tests. To illustrate this let’s take a look at the life of a test specimen at Q-Lab Weathering Research Service.
Specimen Check-In
Instead of using pen, paper and a calendar to schedule steps in the testing process, a scheduling database is used. All of the important information such as type of exposure, angle of exposure, backing type, exposure duration, and evaluation interval are entered in the scheduling database. The laboratory staff is automatically alerted when an action is due for each specimen. Each specimen is assigned a unique serial number for identification throughout the life of the test. A barcode label containing this serial number as well as other useful information about the test is attached to each specimen. The barcode label is used to verify the identification of the panel at each step of the testing process.
Exposure
The exposure period of the specimen may seem like the most basic part of the test process, but there is still a tremendous amount of activity during this phase. Specimens are exposed on specially built racks per the test method (such as ASTM G7) being followed. Racks are typically constructed from anodized aluminum instead of wood.
The three major factors in weathering degradation are radiation, temperature, and moisture. At the test farm, a weather station continually measures and records in a database weather parameters including total solar radiation, UV radiation, air temperature, humidity, panel temperatures, time of wetness, and rainfall. This data can be used to compare exposures from different time periods and in the development of correlation of outdoor weathering to accelerated weathering.
Evaluation and Return
After the appropriate exposure interval, the scheduling database will automatically indicate that the specimens need to be evaluated and/or returned to the customer. The Test Farm can perform a number of evaluation techniques to detect and quantify the degradation of materials. Visual inspections and ratings can be performed according to various standards such as ASTM and ISO. Instrumental measurements of color with a spectrophotometer provide the customer with a set of numbers that quantify the amount of color change that occurred during the exposure. A separate instrument measures the gloss of the specimen surface. Quantifying the change in color and gloss helps chemists adjust the chemical formulation to develop a more durable material.
Summary
There is more to a Test Farm than the name implies. Advances in technology and scientific understanding have evolved the Test Farm into a truly scientific laboratory.
About Q–Lab Weathering Research Service
Q–Lab Corporation has been a global provider of material durability testing products since 1956. Q–Lab designs and manufactures standard test substrates as well as weathering, light stability, and corrosion testers. Q–Lab Weathering Research Service, a division of Q–Lab Corporation, is an ISO-17025 accredited test service that includes laboratory simulations and outdoor exposures for weathering, lightfastness and corrosion testing. Q–Lab is also a CRRC accredited Test Farm.
Matthew Friday
Technical Director
Q–Lab Weathering Research Service
Specimens aging on 45° test racks.
Image courtesy of Monica Torres of Q–Lab.
Test Farm Update —
Atlas Weathering Services Group
Activity on the Atlas Weathering Services Group test farm has increased significantly. As the first approved CRRC test farm, we are pleased to see the volume of testing increase as companies are seeking CRRC approval for a greater number of products.
With the new submittal dates for outdoor testing, we would like to offer a few tips to ensure that your materials are exposed on time and returned promptly.
| • | The new outdoor start dates are as follows: January 1, March 1, May 1, July 1, September 1, and November 1. |
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| • | To ensure that your materials are exposed on time, please make sure they arrive at Atlas Testing Services at least 3-weeks prior to the exposure date. |
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| • | We must contact each submitter prior to return of the 3-year samples to request the name of the AITL that will perform the final measurements. Delays in or lack of response with this information will affect the final measurement process. Please inform us of any changes to the submitter on record to ensure prompt service. |
Meet the Staff:
Jaynae Brust is the CRRC Coordinator for Atlas. Every CRRC sample is personally handled by Jaynae before being sent to the test farms in Miami, FL; Phoenix, AZ; and Medina, OH. She is also responsible for combining the samples after the 3 year exposure removal and returning them to the appropriate AITL. Jaynae has 20+ years of experience in the weathering industry and is the Group Leader for outdoor weathering at our Phoenix site. Please do not hesitate to contact her at jbrust@atlas-mts.com.
Rich Slomko
NA Testing Leader
Atlas Weathering Services Group
Fall 2010 Issue
Chair's Corner
The CRRC is always looking for ways to increase the value of the CRRC rating system and to educate interested parties about the work that has gone into developing the extremely robust rating system. There are two efforts currently underway at the CRRC to accomplish these goals.
The first is working with the EPA ENERGY STAR program. The ENERGY STAR program is a well-established brand name, however the robustness of the ENERGY STAR rating program has recently been questioned. The CRRC is working with the EPA to adopt the CRRC rating program as the basis for their program, as it is an extremely robust program that has been developed over a 10–year period with input from both private and public entities.
Specifically the CRRC is applying for recognition as an ENERGY STAR Certification Body. This would allow the CRRC to rate and determine if products meet the requirements of the ENERGY STAR program. If we are successful in this effort, the value of manufacturers as CRRC licensees will be expanded. They will not only meet the requirements of several energy codes that reference the CRRC rating system, but also the widely recognized ENERGY STAR program.
In our next newsletter I will describe another way that the CRRC is working to increase the value of our rating system.
Mike Ennis
CRRC Board Chairman
Industry Insights
. . . appears in the left column this issue.
Cool Roofing in the News
As cool roof programs are becoming prevalent around the country and abroad, cool roofs have been receiving more press. People are turning to cool roofs as efficient, cost effective solutions to help offset the late summer and early autumn heat. With features in the Washington Post and CNBC, more people are learning about the merits of cool roofs.
World’s Largest LEED Platinum Project Features Monumental Cool Roof
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, designed by the Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (HOK) architecture firm, is the first LEED project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the largest LEED Platinum project in the world. The climate’s severe heat and humidity influenced the design team to look to passive cooling strategies. Their design was driven by traditional cultural concepts, such as the city density, naturally ventilated spaces of the souk (traditional Arabic market), Arabic latticework screens called mashrabiya, and the passive wind-ventilated solar chimney systems of traditional Arabic homes.
These design features led to the idea of a 900,000 square foot cool roof. The massive cool roof blankets a densely spaced collection of buildings designed to shade each other, with the monumental cool roof creating passive wind ventilation and a dramatic pattern of light and shadows. The cool roof system is comprised of single–ply membranes, coated metal panels, and light colored gravel and contributed to a building energy performance that is between 20 and 45 percent better than ASHRAE standards. The article can be read in its entirety in Environmental Design and Construction Magazine.
Expert Hashem Akbari Promotes Cool Roofs in Canada
Cool roof advocate and researcher Hashem Akbari has traveled the world promoting the benefits of cool roofs. Akbari has devoted his career to studying the benefits of cool roofs as head of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group, as well as worked with several jurisdictions developing cool roof legislation. In an interview with the Montreal Mirror, Akbari states that cool roofs typically save ten percent of the energy use in the floor directly below. He also weighs the pros and cons of coating existing roofs and replacing aging roofs with cooler materials.
The interview can be read in its entirety here.
New York City Mayor Bloomberg Coats the One Millionth SQFT of Cool Roof
On October 13 the NYC °CoolRoofs program, reported in our Summer Newsletter, reached its goal of painting one million square feet of roof with a white reflective coating. This goal was met in just five months, assisted by the 1,500 volunteers and materials provided by 17 companies.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Chief Service Officer Diahann Billings-Burford and Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri honored the event by coating the one millionth square foot. The program was organized by NYC Service, an initiative put in place by Mayor Bloomberg in 2009 as an answer to President Obama’s call for nationwide volunteerism. NYC °CoolRoofs was launched with a pilot program in 2009, was fully implemented in 2010, and will continue in 2011. The 2011 phase will be open to buildings that provide the City with their energy bills in order to track the energy savings of cool roofs.
The article can be read in its entirety here
Upcoming
Board of Directors
Meetings
Board of Directors Meeting
November 19, 2010
Chicago, Illinois
9 am to 5 pm
This meeting will be in conjunction with the GreenBuild Expo 2010 (November 16-18).
Board of Directors Meeting
December 9, 2010
Conference Call
10 am Pacific Time
Board of Directors Meeting
February 15, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
9 am to 5 pm
This meeting will be in conjunction with the
International Roofing Expo (February 16-18).
Upcoming Tradeshows
GreenBuild 2010
Chicago, IL
November 16-18, 2010
International Roofing Expo
Las Vegas, NV
February 16-18, 2011
Contact Us
Please let us know if you have any comments, questions or items you’d like us to include in future newsletters.
• Visit www.coolroofs.org
• Call (866) 465-2523
• Email info@coolroofs.org