SF-98-06-2 -- Measured and Simulated Performance of Reflective Roofing Systems in Residential Buildings PDF

A series of experiments in Florida residences have measured the impact of increasing roof solar reflectance on space cooling. In tests on eleven homes with the roof color changed in mid-summer, the average cooling energy use was reduced by 19%. Measurements and infrared thermography show that a significant part of the savings is due to interactions when the duct system is located in the attic space. An improved residential attic and duct simulation model, taking these experimental results into account, has been implemented in the DOE-2.1E building energy simulation program. The model was then used to estimate the impact of reflective roofing in fourteen different climatic locations around the United States. 

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