Green Roofs Emittance And Albedo

Flat or low pitch roofs in particular need to meet a reflectance value of 0 65 and an emittance value of 0 50.

Green roofs emittance and albedo. Cool roofs use roofing materials that are highly reflective also called high albedo roofs of the sun s radiant heat. Cool roofs are able to reduce heat gain in buildings due to the high solar reflective index. Green roof energy series part 6. Green roofs provide a thermal mass layer which helps reduce the flow of heat into a building.

Finally keep in mind that the style of your roof will affect the necessary reflectance and emittance values your new roof should meet. Green roofs may not reflect as much as a cool roof but do have other benefits such as evapotranspiration which cools the plants and the immediate area around the plants aiding in lowering rooftop. When a roof can deliver high solar reflectance or albedo and thermal emittance values it is known as a cool roof. However emittance also matters because the higher the emittance the more readily the roof surface will radiate long wave ir heat to the sky.

Peck is the founder and president of green roofs for. Albedo or solar reflectance is a measure of a material s ability to reflect sunlight including the visible infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths on a scale of 0 to 1 an albedo of 0 0 indicates that the surface absorbs all solar radiation and an albedo of 1 0 represents total reflectivity. Mindful that reflectance and albedo can be different a combination of high albedo and high emittance resists solar heat gain most effectively. A cool roof prevents heat absorption by reflecting the sun s heat and then emitting its radiation back into the atmosphere.

By doing this cool roofs allow for a more comfortable and controlled indoor environment. Albedo is a unitless measure with possible values ranging from 0 to 1. This is due to the nature of the roof itself. They may also have a high thermal emittance value.

A standard white reflectance 0 08 and emittance 0 90 is 100. Cool roofs by chris wark energy editor originally posted march 2 2011. Sustainable roofing glossary albedo. An energy calculator for green roofs.

They can also reduce the urban heat island effect. Although cool roofing is one of the most significant green technologies today it is not a new concept. Albedo albedo or solar reflectance is a measure of a material s ability to reflect sunlight including the visible infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths on a scale of 0 to 1. Emittance is a measure of how much of the absorbed radiant energy is given off into the atmosphere keeping the surface cooler as a result.

An albedo of 0 0 indicates that the surface absorbs all solar radiation and an albedo of 1 0 represents total reflectivity.