Monitoring the energy-use effects of cool roofs on California commercial buildings

Solar-reflective roofs stay cooler in the sun than solar-absorptive roofs. Such “cool” roofs achieve lower surface temperatures that reduce heat conduction into the building and the buildingʹs cooling load. We monitored the effects of cool roofs on energy use and environmental parameters in six California buildings at three different sites: a retail store in Sacramento; an elementary school in San Marcos (near San Diego); and a four-building cold storage facility in Reedley (near Fresno). The latter included a cold storage building, a conditioning and fruit-palletizing area, a conditioned packing area, and two unconditioned packing areas.