Posted by Damien Cabral on Tue, Mar 23, 2010
Cool and Green roofing technologies have been out for years but continue to 
change rapidly. A new material from United Environment & Energy (UEE) claims to take cool roofing technologies to another level. Traditional cool roofing technologies reflect the sun’s rays (and therefore heat) from your roof to decrease cooling costs during the warmer months. The challenge with the traditional technology is it also reflects the suns rays during the winter months, when additional heat on your roof can be beneficial.
UEE claims to have solved this problem by inventing a coating that allows homeowners to gain efficiencies during both seasons. The coating is made from a cooking oil-based polymer, with molecules strung together in a long chain, that hardens into plastic. Change in temperature alters the coatings optical properties. The coating reflects the sun’s rays in warmer temperatures and absorbs the rays during colder temperatures. UEE claims that the cooking oil coating can reduce temperatures by up to 80% during the summer and increase temperatures by 80% during the winter (when compared to other cool roofing technologies).
"It will help save fuel and electricity and reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds from petroleum-based roofing products. In addition, it will provide a new use for millions of gallons of waste oil after it is used to cook french fries and chicken nuggets." - Ben Wen, VP of United Environment & Energy
Unfortunately, this technology isn’t expected to be ready for production until 2013. Moonworks provides conventional Cool Roofing Shingles in the Northeast, including Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA), and Connecticut (CT).
This is not the first smart roof technology to emerge in the past few months. MIT Invented a Color Changing Roof (click for a detailed blog article) recently as well. The heart of this discovery is a new roofing tile that changes color based on ambient temperature. The tiles turn white (reflecting the heat) when it is hot outside and turn black (absorbing the heat) when it is cold. The tiles have been shown to reflect up to 80% of the sunlight when white and 30% when they are black.
Photo and Source Credit
Posted by Rebecca Langley on Thu, Dec 31, 2009
Patriot Place is installing a 525-kilowatt solar power system, which will generate approximately 30% of the complex's power. The panels will be installed across seven roofs, one of which is The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon. The Hall is an interactive museum dedicated to the history of the New England Patriots. The panels will be visible to fans attending the Patriots football games at Gillette Stadium. Each year, the system will remove 8,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the same amount generated from 1,600 passenger cars. Over the next 20 years, over 12 million kilowatt hours of electricity will be generated from the system.
This is not the first green project for Patriot Place, which was constructed using low-emitting construction materials and white roofs which reflect the sunlight and absorb less heat. The trash receptacles are solar powered, which can hold over 5 times the amount of waste as a normal trash receptacle of the same size, therefore reducing the amount of collection trips. They also reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Patriot Place also uses an on-site waste water reuse system that treats wastewater and recycles it throughout the facility.
Moonworks carries the Repower Home Solar Thermal Energy System. These solar panels can be installed onto your home's roof and help you lower your utility bills.
Photo Credit.
Posted by Damien Cabral on Tue, Dec 08, 2009
Harvard Business School (HBS) is known for creating some of the greatest business
minds in America. Now they are educating these minds in green structures. Recently, HBS
completed the construction of a green roof on Shad Hall. The 5,200 square foot roof incorporates several green technologies including live plants, "dirt", solar panels, and reflective surfaces.
The "living" area of the roof includes 64 cubic yards of shale, a gravel like material that won't compact or blow away. The shale retains enough water for the plants to live but drains well enough that the plants will not die from saturation. Planted in the "dirt" is 9,000 perennial plants that will spread over the roof throughout the next two years. Green roofs are actually made of two separate layers. The lower level is an impermeable 
membrane covered with insulation, a water retention and drainage system. Included in this layer is a leak sensory system that can pinpoint a leak within a one-foot radius. Next is the layer of shale and plants, which will bloom into a beautiful rooftop garden. Additional technologies utilized in the construction include sheets of white PVC and Solar Panels.
How do these technologies help Harvard to save money while simultaneously making it green?
- The plant cover absorbs much of the heat directed at the building, which keeps it cooler in the summer (a high of 90 degrees vs. 160 degrees.) Additionally, the multiple layers on the roof insulate the building keeping it warmer in the winter months. The plant cover absorbs 75% of the annual rainfall, decreasing the drain off.
- The white PVC covering deflects the sun's rays, keeping the roof cooler in the summer.
- The Solar Panels generate electricity for the building year round.
We are lucky to have this very interesting technology right in our backyard in Massachusetts. Did you know can integrate part of this technology into your own home? While Moonworks can't plant flowers on your roof, we can offer you a wide range of shingles (Solaris Shingles and Cool Colors Shingles) that have reflective properties, decreasing your roof temperature in the summer and saving you on cooling cost. Some of these shingles even qualify you for up to a $1500 tax credit!
Photo Credits: HBS