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Cool Roof Systems; What is the Condensation Risk?...

by Manfred Kehrer, Bjoern Pallin
Publication Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
Conference Name
10th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics
Conference Location
Lund, Sweden
Conference Date
-

A white roof, or cool roof, is constructed to decrease thermal loads from solar radiation, therefore saving energy by decreasing the cooling demands. Unfortunately, cool roofs with a mechanically attached membrane have shown a higher risk of intermediate condensation in the materials below the membrane in certain climates (Ennis & Kehrer, 2011) and in comparison with similar constructions with a darker exterior surface (Bludau, Zirkelbach, & Kuenzel, 2009). As a consequence, questions have been raised regarding the sustainability and reliability of using cool roof membranes in northern U.S. climate zones.