What is an Urban Heat Island, and How Does it Affect My Commercial Roofing Choices?

When considering your next choice in commercial roof replacement, you may wish to take into consideration the rising cost of energy in the U.S. and how your building absorbs heat. An urban heat island is basically a metropolitan area that is hotter than the surrounding rural and suburban areas due to human activity. The cause of this is the modification of land surfaces by creating structures that store short-wave radiation. In other words, the types of building materials used in an urban area have an aggregate effect on the heat levels of that area, and that, in turn, affects the heating and cooling costs of those living there. The increase in ambient urban air temperatures is measurable due to the lack of natural vegetation and the dominance of buildings and structures that have dark or black surfaces like roads or roofs.

Commercial roof replacement and commercial roof repair should take into consideration the rising cost of energy in the U.S. and what that will mean to the cooling costs in summer for your office building. Between 5-10% of all electricity used in summer is there to offset the Urban Heat Island effect. When the country spends close to $40 billion each year to cool our houses and buildings, finding some means of offsetting this process is imperative. If you could reduce your energy costs and grow the lifespan of your roof, why wouldn't you? Your white or reflective roof can reduce your monthly summer energy costs by 40%!

Here in Florida, there are credits and rebates for “going green”. We can help you make the most of those when having a commercial roof replacement or doing commercial roof repair, as well as, help you to make the most of the investment by creating a cool space that reduces your electricity costs. We at Southern Coast Enterprises, Inc. make it our mission to raise awareness and provide all our customers with the most innovative, cost-reducing, and quality products that money can buy. We provide you with solutions that can even eliminate in some cases your energy costs with solar. When you need a consultation on commercial roof replacement, call us to see what our Green Energy solutions can do for you.