Have you heard of the Cool Roof Ratings Council? As a commercial building owner, you understand the importance of carefully selecting a roofing system based on performance attributes and considering the building’s design, intended use, location, and climatic conditions. Up until June of 2022, the ENERGY STAR certification program for roofing products was the gold standard for selecting an energy-efficient roof.  Due to improvements in ANSI/CRRC S100 standards and commercial building codes, it was officially phased out on June 1, 2022.  You may still occasionally see roofing products with the ENERGY STAR logo, but there are no new product certifications after that date.

So, now that the Energy Star label has been retired, what is the new standard for energy-efficient roof systems? This is where the Cool Roof Ratings Council (CRRC) and their CRRC-1 Program comes into play. The CRRC, in existence since 2002, is an independent organization that verifies specific solar reflectance, thermal emittance, and/or solar reflectance index (SRI) values for roofing systems and then makes this information publicly available. The CRRC offers product ratings for companies interested in having their roofing products listed and labeled, and any roofing product can be rated as long as it is in compliance with the CRRC-1 Product Rating Program Manual.

After initial testing of a roofing product sample, the sample is sent to a CRRC Approved Test Farm where it is exposed to outdoor weathering for three years. Outdoor exposure occurs at CRRC Approved Test Farms in three designated locations in the United States that collectively represent the average U.S. climate: Arizona (hot/dry), Ohio (cold/temperate), and Florida (hot/humid).  After three years of field exposure, the weathered specimens are sent back for aged testing. At the end of this process, the roof product is listed on the Rated Roof Products Directory. It’s important to note that placement on the directory does not mean that the roofing system is “cool”, just that it has gone through the rating process.

CRRC-1 ratings range from 0 to 1, with 1 being the most reflective or emissive. The ratings inform on how efficient the product is at reducing building energy use, increasing occupant comfort, and mitigating the urban heat island effect. Over 3,000 roofing products are published online in the CRRC Rated Roof Products Directory.

Call Tusing Builders & Roofing Services

Choosing a roofing system and a roofing contractor are both very big decisions to make. Tusing Builders & Roofing Services has been serving the commercial roofing industry all over Ohio for more than 20 years. Allow us to answer your questions and assist you throughout this process. Reach out to us today at 866-584-2712.