Coatings are no more the same in quality, than prime roofing membranes, automobiles or houses! The better ones will do the intended job, but only when appropriate installation measures are prescribed AND followed.

It’s a good idea to understand what you’re getting and whether a roof coating can save you money. Topps has a new 12 page free booklet that does this. It covers the “why”, “how”, and even gives a comparison of product based upon governmental test standards. It’s something that most people often overlook or don’t realize exists. Call today and we’ll send you the free booklet!

Know who really makes the coating under that label you’re buying. The practice of many so called “manufacturers” is to buy product of others – often at the lowest price on the dollar – and claim it to be theirs. Topps manufacturing is by our own people with ingredients and output that we control. They are backed by realistic warranties – not a shell company operating out of a rental package delivery store and “virtual office” somewhere. Brick and mortar cement us to your success rather than a light switch and just warranty words on paper.

Looking to coat your roof with a highly reflective, all white, energy efficient coating? Call Topps today at 800-867-7177 or 855-867-7176.

A cool roof is one that radiates heat back into the atmosphere rather than allowing it to be absorbed.

You might ask, how important is it to have a cool roof on your commercial building? A cool roof contributes to a cooler building. It reduces solar green house effects, extends the sustainability and lifetime of your roofing materials by greatly reducing thermal induced movement, eliminates UV attack and can lower peak energy demand – just for starters!

How much heat reduction is possible? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, some reflective roof products can lower roof surface temperature by up to 100° F (50°C) and can reduce peak cooling demand by as much as 15%. It is not uncommon for a roof’s temperature to drop to within 2° of ambient temperature after Topps Seal® is installed.

Roof pitch, solar orientation, slope, building materials, air conditioning equipment efficiency, equipment maintenance, insulation – all are factors and variables that impact potential energy savings. As well, one must be aware of what generates heat from within – window openings, lighting, wiring, equipment operations and even times of building operations. There is no true “energy savings calculator” – it is impossible to accurately predict the actual savings to cooling due to what’s on top of your roof. It does not mean though that your coating is not cooling.

Topps, an Energy Star® Partner has done independent research on energy savings before and after complete roof restoration with Topps Seal. A furniture store in Tennessee experienced a 24.5% savings after application. A church in the same sate reported a 12.7% savings. Both were based upon actual kWh usage provided by the utility companies for their peak use before and one year after application. The average ambient temperature for the month was 1° higher the year following application.

More Cool Roof Q & A in our next post!

To continue with our discussion of Cool Roofs you might ask how is a Cool Roof Coating measured and is there a standard?

Decades of exhaustive laboratory and field tests have proven that the single most important factor for establishing a Cool Roof is a measure known as Solar Reflectivity and that a 2nd element known as Thermal Emittance can contribute. Solar Reflection is the percent of solar heat energy reflected off the surface of the roof and never allowed to penetrate. Thermal Emittance is the relative ability of the roof surface to radiate absorbed heat, with greater importance for roofing with lower reflectance. The U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established through their Energy Star® program the minimum standards required to achieve this.

What are the standards and how does Topps Seal® measure by comparison?

Standards exist for two roof slopes – low slope (2:10 or less) and steep slope. Energy Star® requires two measurements; new and after aging for 3 years. Low slope roofs account for most roofs. They gather more solar exposure and consequently require the greatest reflectivity. The initial (new) Solar Reflectance must measure 65% minimum. Solar Reflectance after aging is required to be a minimum of 50%.

So how does Topps stack up? We subscribe to meeting Energy Star® standards. When new, Topps Seal® produces in excess of 87% (remember Energy Star states 65% minimum) putting it at the top. After aging, Topps Seal® produces in excess of 74% (Energy Star states 50% minimum), bettering the requirements of competitors of new roof coatings. We point this out because a coating is only new for a very short period of time. Some can stake claim to Energy Star® compliance when actually they are subscribing to steep slope requirements. These can have as little as 15% solar reflectance to be compliant. One must be careful when choosing based upon a label. Topps Seal® Thermal Emittance exceeds the required initial standard and actually improves with time!

Topps® participates in regular on-going 3rd party tests conducted by independent testing laboratories certified by the EPA to verify Energy Star® compliance so that you can be assured that the product you ordered is as claimed.

We get calls into our offices daily telling us about a product that is advertising magical ingredients such as ceramics or glass beads and that stake claim to having special powers…let’s address that.

Unless those coatings meet the Solar Reflectance test in the first place they will not compare to those that do. Such ingredients are largely regarded as fillers and are available to all coating makers. They always replace other more expensive ingredients which account for important roof coating factors such as elongation and tensile strength. If used in any great concentration they actually reduce the cooling so you never will hear claims boasting greater amounts amongst competitors. Their use also can reduce the cooling ability later due to the rough surface caused at the microscopic level, resulting in dirt collection, microbes, and lower reflectivity over time. This helps also explain why virtually all who sell on the “magical” cooling effects of special ingredients will somewhere have reference to the fact that the highly boasted results can only be obtained using their white. It also explains why all standards are based upon Solar Reflectance and not ingredients.

Of course there are many other considerations for purchasing roof coatings, all of which have to do with the coating’s physical properties over time and ability to meet your projected needs. These are responsible for assessing how well they will hold up. For this reason it is critical that when coatings are compared that the comparison always include physical features after aging. This can indicate not only how much a product can be expected to do, but how long it will continue performing compared to another option.