City of Orange Cove Discovers the Benefits of Cool Roofs
Local governments are always looking for ways to reduce cooling
and other operational costs. This laudable goal has become even
more crucial in these times of volatile energy prices and tight
local government budgets.
With assistance from an innovative state rebate program, local
governments throughout California are saving money by installing
light-colored, energy-conserving cool roofs.
Among the first local governments to take advantage of the “Cool
Savings with Cool Roofs” rebate program is the City of Orange
Cove, located in the Central Valley just southwest of Fresno. Public
Works Supervisor Gabriel Jimenez found out about the cool roof rebate
from Jose Ramirez, Orange Cove’s city administrator –
who read about the rebate program in Currents.
Jimenez was attracted to the “Cool Savings” program because
of its simplicity. “All you needed to do was use a certified
product and contractor,” he said. He received four different
offers from roofing contractors to cover the Victor E. Lopez Rural
Economic Development Center, which featured a roof that measured
more than 14,500 square feet. The best proposal came from B&R
Roofing of Fresno, which offered the City of Orange Cove three different
products.
“We decided to go for the highest quality product,” said
Jimenez, noting that the Benchmark white acrylic top coating manufactured
by Conklin Company was selected for the cool roof. The City received
a rebate check from the State for $2,956 to help cover the modest
installation costs.
Benefits of the City’s Cool Roof
Jimenez is confident the investment will pay off well for Orange
Cove.
“Since we have data on energy costs for the rural economic
development center for the past few years, we will be monitoring
energy costs to verify savings. Of course, given the change in PG&E
rates last year, we will take those increases in account when calculating
net savings over this period of time,” he said.
Jimenez noted the Cool Savings program is opening his eyes to the
very tangible benefits of saving energy: “This is our first
energy efficiency program. We are already looking at the possibility
of a new lighting system. Hopefully, this cool roof project will
perform well and give a major boost to our efforts to further cut
energy use.”
“Just being up there on that roof, in the blazing sun, makes
you realize how much sense the cool roof, duct sealing and other
energy efficiency projects make. Every local government should be
looking at their roofs and contacting the Cool Savings program,”
Jimenez said.
Cool Cash for Cool Roofs
Funded by the California Energy Commission, the “Cool Savings
with Cool Roofs” program offers rebates to encourage the installation
of cool roofs on existing and new buildings.
An incentive of 15-20¢ per square foot of eligible roofing is available
through the program to qualifying applicants. The application deadline
is November 30.
For more information about California’s “Cool Savings
with Cool Roofs” Program, visit http://www.coolroofs.info,
or call (888) 891-2665. Details on eligibility requirements and
the application process are available on the web site.
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What Makes A Roof “Cool”
Cool roofs are based on simple science: dark materials absorb
more heat than light materials. Most traditional dark-colored
roofs absorb 70% or more of the solar energy striking them
– resulting in peak roof temperatures of 150° -190°
F. By comparison, white, reflective cool roofs are 50°
to 60° F cooler on hot days – resulting in cooling
cost reductions as large as 40%.
In addition to energy savings, cool roofs offer local governments
many other benefits:
- Decreased long-term roofing maintenance and replacement
costs.
- Improved comfort for workers.
- Reduced air temperatures surrounding the cool building.
- Reduced electricity demand at times when prices are high.
- Less solid and hazardous waste.
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