By simply installing roofing material coated with special color pigments, homeowners and businesses can cut air-conditioning costs 20 percent and reduce peak loads on utilities. The new roofing product, being developed by the roofing industry, Oak Ridge and Lawrence Berkeley national laboratories, consists of tile, metal, wood shake or asphalt shingles that contain mixtures of complex inorganic color pigments. To the eye, the materials look dark, yet they reflect much of the sun's energy in the (invisible) infrared portion of the light spectrum. In contrast, traditional roofing materials absorb more infrared and visible light. Metal roofs are available in a range of colors and will resist fading better than standard materials. The additional cost of about 5 cents per square foot for painted materials should be recovered within about three years, according to ORNL's Bill Miller. Applications to concrete and clay tile are boosting reflectance from 5 percent to more than 40 percent. Shingle and wood shake products are under development with the goal being to bring cool roof color materials to the market in three to five years. The three-year $2 million project is funded by the California Energy Commission.
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