Members of the Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) volunteered to apply reflective cool roof coatings onto the roofs of 18 row homes on the 1200 block of West Seltzer Street in North Philadelphia to support the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA)’s EnergyFit Philly program.

ECA’s EnergyFit Philly program aims to preserve affordable housing by repairing, and providing deep energy retrofits to low income homes in extremely poor condition. It is an innovative approach to the prevention of homelessness by preserving and stabilizing affordable housing that is currently ineligible for energy conservation programs due to roof leaks and other home repair needs. Applying roof coatings on these homes is a final step in the energy efficiency improvement process. Coatings extend the service life of the roofs and provide energy-saving benefits for homeowners.

Roof coatings are designed for protecting and extending the useful service life of roof assemblies for new construction and more commonly, existing roof coverings. Reflective roof coatings extend the life of the roof by reducing heat transfer into the building, decreasing thermal shock (thermal expansion and contraction of the roof membrane), and helping to mitigate leaks.

Roof coatings reflect visible light as well as infrared and ultraviolet radiation, causing roof surface temperature to drop by up to 55°F and decreasing the amount of heat transferred into a building on hot days. Lower roof temperatures in turn help to reduce cooling costs for buildings with air conditioning units and reduce interior temperatures and relative humidity in buildings with or without cooling units. A building owner can experience an energy savings (kWh) of up to 15% after using a reflective roof coating, according to information from the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Program. 

Several RCMA roof coatings manufacturer and supplier members have donated their products for use in this project, or volunteered their time to apply coatings to a block of low income row homes on West Seltzer Street. The block will be closed off to traffic on Monday morning for the safety of residents, volunteers, and other invited guests.

The RCMA is partnering with ECA on this project as part of its biennial industry conference, the International Roof Coatings Conference, taking place in Philadelphia on July 18-21.

For more information on RCMA activities, programs, and initiatives, please visit us at www.roofcoatings.org.