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[BLDG-SIM] "Cool Roofing"



If you model energy savings for roofing products, be sure to account for smog.  Yes I’m in Los Angeles.  But ASHRAE does also note that energy savings is negligible in industrial areas due to smoke and smog.  I believe the real point here is that unless the direct irradiation level is high then there isn’t much chance of savings.  The diffuse irradiation will have the same affect on a wall as it does a roof--White paint or rock anyone (as opposed to snowcap type products)?  Your point about New England’s latitude would fit in here about the diffuse radiation part.  Additionally, I do recall that there was a researcher at LBL who was educating people about albedo (smooth vs. fluffy) as a surface property that needs to also be addressed; this is in addition to abosorptance, reflectance, and emisstivity.

 

I do not believe very highly in the accuracy of the energy performance estimates for the high performance roofing products.  All you need is a hazy month in June, and you’ve got more savings then the prior year.  Wash the roof, for that matter, and the results will change.

 

My point is, don’t expect much from your model, and expect less in real life.

 

Eric Kirchhoff, PE

Project Engineer

 

Sempra Energy Solutions

Phone: (213) 244-4228

Fax:     (213) 244-4244

ekirchhoff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Sempra Energy Solutions is not the same company as the utility SDG&E or SoCalGas, and Sempra Energy Solutions is not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Wade McLaughlin [mailto:wmclaughlin@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 10:55 AM
To: BLDG-SIM@xxxxxxxx
Subject: [BLDG-SIM] "Cool Roofing"

 

Has anyone had any success modeling cool roofing options (i.e. reflective or light colored surfaces) in PowerDOE?  So far, I have seen negligible results from the adjustment of roof construction absorptance values (emissivity is also known to play a role, but there is no input for this in PowerDOE).  I have seen data showing cooling energy savings from 0.06 to 0.54 kWh/sqft/yr, depending on building type.  I am getting only a very small fraction of this.  Data collected in the study was from facilities in the southern and western US, and I work primarily on buildings in the Northeast.

 

My questions:

How well can I expect PowerDOE to simulate this?  Is there a better way to simulate cool roofing?  Is the sun simply too low in the sky in New England to yield substantial savings?

 

Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

Wade McLaughlin
DMI
450 Lexington St.
Newton, MA  02466
p 617-527-1525 x103
f  617-527-6606

 
 
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