Cool Roofs Protect the Environment and Save Money

Why is it still difficult to get information through to the public? That's easy. As a person who helped write Chicago Energy Code which has roof reflectivity requirements & an individual who rehabbed her house adding green elements I can tell you that building professionals need to be convinced that green changes are cost efficient and aesthetically pleasing. And cost of operation should be considered when building.



You needn't have a snow white roof to green your roof. I have a standing seam metal roof on my house that is champagne. The undercoating of the roofing material helps reflect solar energy off the roof. Because it is metal, the roof cools down very quickly after the sun sets. My air conditioning costs have dropped dramatically. I had to fight my builder for that roof. He thought I was crazy to pay more for a roof to save on the operations side. I had that same fight about my bamboo floors which take 5 years v. 20 to be grown & my on demand hot water heater.



Chicago has been a leader when it comes to the greening of the urban environment. Our City Hall rooftop garden is a model of retrofitting existing structures. Our Center For Green Technology was the first LEED Platinum building in the State of Illinois. Working in cooperation with ComEd, solar panels were installed on area museums & schools. I was proud to be part of those programs & continue to advocate for greener options.
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