When solar energy hits the roof surface and is absorbed, it raises the temperature of the shingles. This can lead to heat entering the home as well as premature aging of the shingle itself.
Roof cooling colors reflect ultraviolet (UV) rays to help reduce solar heat entering the home, supporting efforts by the Cool Roof Rating Council, (CRRC) Climate Resolve, and the State of California to conserve energy and improve air quality.
Note: Reflective granules not available in all markets.
Shingles can cool roofs in one of two ways – color or coating. Light shingle colors naturally reflect more solar energy than darker colors. For darker shingles, we utilize 3M™ Cool Roofing Granules which include a special coating that enhances solar reflectivity. These shingles makeup our Ecoasis™ NEX® product line.
Typical asphalt shingles might exhibit 3-12% solar energy reflectance from classic black granules.
The addition of 3M™ Cool Roofing Granules can enable shingles to reflect 20-25% of the sun’s energy.
Shingles are assigned an SRI (Solar Reflective Index) rating by the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC). The higher the SRI, the greater the solar reflectivity. This means your roof stays cooler and reduces the amount of heat conducted to the building below.
CRRC rated colors of at least SRI 16 can be used to comply with California Energy Code (CEC) Title 24, Part 6 Cool Roof Requirements. SRIs of 20 or more also meet LA County requirements.
Cities are hotter. The Urban Heat Island Effect describes the elevated temperature differential between urban and rural environments due to the larger number of heat-absorbing surfaces like roads, roofs, and buildings.
According to the EPA, ‘heat islands’ can affect communities by increasing peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Solar reflective roofing is an excellent way for cities to help offset the Urban Heat Island Effect, supporting efforts by the Cool Roof Rating Council, (CRRC) Climate Resolve, and the State of California to conserve energy and improve air quality.
Dense, non-porous, mineral is the core of the granule, providing strength and long-lasting, weather-resistant durability.
Colored, ceramic coating adds lasting color vibrancy, in an array of colors, and helps defend against hail, scuffing, and UV aging.
For granules to work, they need to stay on the shingle. 3M adds an adhesion promoter to each granule to enhance granule adhesion, while our NEX rubberized asphalt technology allows for deeper granule embedment, both of which help reduce granule loss.
Malarkey shingles have up to 65% greater granule retention than the industry standard specification (ASTM D3462).
UV coating acts as sunscreen to help protect the shingle from premature aging from UV sunlight.
Highly reflective coating helps even darker colors achieve a high solar energy reflectance rating.