ENERGY EFFICIENCY LINKS
Net Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative. Sponsored by the US Department of Energy. Excellent overall resource for a holistic approach to energy efficiency in buildings.
Web-Based Energy Software Tools. Sponsored by the US Department of Energy Building Technologies Program. Provides links to a variety of energy modeling and estimating tools, including the DOE Cool Roof Calculator. This calculator is an interactive tool developed by Oak Ridge national Laboratories to assist commercial building owners and managers estimate the maximum effect of solar radiation control on energy needs for a building under a low-slope roof. You can quickly compare the energy cost differences between a reflective and non-reflective roof for over 243 cities in the United States.
EnergyWise Calculator Online. The EnergyWise Calculator is part of the SpecRight Program launched by the National Roofing Contractors Association in 2006. This web-based application allows roofing professionals to construct virtual roof assemblies to evaluate thermal efficiency and estimate energy costs via comparison of other roof assemblies.
DOE Building Energy Codes Program. This site serves as an information resource on national model energy codes. The site includes a state-by-state review of current energy codes and a web-based compliance tool called COMCheck.
Energy Star® Reflective Roof Products. The site provides information about the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Roof Program, including an Energy Star® Roofing Product Directory. (Note: 8 MB Download)
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING LINKS
US Green Building Council. The USGBC sponsors and supports the LEED Green Building Rating System®. The site also contains a detailed LEED Resources page.
The Green Building Initiative. The GBI sponsors and supports an alternative to the LEED rating system called the Green Globes System™. This evaluation system was originally developed in Canada, and is now available as a web-based tool.
What is Life Cycle Assessment? This EPA-sponsored web site provides valuable information about the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to measuring the overall environmental impact of buildings and an extensive LCA Resources section for additional information.
GREEN / VEGETATIVE ROOFING LINKS
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. The mission of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is to increase awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs. The site provides a wide variety of information about garden roofs.
Penn State Center for Green Roof Research. Penn State conducts extensive research in garden roofing, and this web site provides considerable information about the specific benefits and limitations of garden roofs. The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress has provided a grant to Penn State to assist in the continuation of this important research.
Michigan State University Green Roof Research Program. This is similar to the Penn State program, but with a little more information available on the website.
Greenroofs.com. A web portal for the green roofing industry, sponsored by the publisher of the Greenroof Directory.
COOL ROOFING LINKS
Cool Roof Rating Council. The Cool Roof Rating Council was created in 1998 to develop accurate and credible methods for evaluating and labeling the solar reflectance and thermal emittance of roofing products and to disseminate the information to all interested parties. At the core of the CRRC is its Product Rating Program, in which roofing manufacturers can label various roof surface products with radiative property values rated under a strict program administered by the CRRC.
Heat Island Group. The Heat Island Group was organized by Lawrence Berkley Laboratories to find, analyze, and implement solutions to the summer warming trends occurring in urban areas, the so-called 'heat island' effect. The Heat Island Group currently concentrates on the study and development of more reflective surfaces for roadways and buildings