Profile of Success
Energy Star® Labeled Roof
Products Case Study
A highly reflective
elastomeric coating
was applied to a
gray modified
bitumen roof
yielding increased
occupant comfort,
longer roof life, and
substantial savings
in a region of the
country with low
electric costs.
Our Savior's Elementary School
Cocoa Beach, Florida
White Elastomeric Coating from Kool Seal Corporation
Project Manager:	Dan Fiore
Facility Type:	Elementary School
Total Roof Area:	12,(DO ft2
Project Costs
Total Expenditures
$6,000

Dollars Per Square Foot
$0.50

Cost Savings
Annual Dollar Savings (not
including value of increased
roof life)
$850

Dollar Savings Per Square Foot
$0.07

Simple Payback Period
7 veal's

Energy Savings
Annual Energy Savings
13,000 kWh

Pollution
Prevention
Annual C02 Emissions
22,300 lbs.
Our Savior's Elementary School (OSES), a small private school built
in the 1960s, is a single-story building in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
Local temperatures often rise to a humid 95°F during the summer and
drop to near freezing in the winter. Upgrading the school's 12,000-lt
roof by applying a reflective coating not only lowered the school's
electric bills substantially, but also helped maintain comfortable
indoor temperatures more easily.
In 1982, OSES' original roof was replaced with a gray modified
bitumen roof. The dropped ceilings in the classrooms were insulated
with R-19 fiberglass batts. The building also used an electric chiller
to cool the air circulated throughout the building instead of a more
typical but less efficient "direct-expansion" air-conditioning unit.
Several characteristics influenced the building's energy performance
June 2000

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and economics. First, although the building was unoccupied for two of the summer months, the
building's owners provided air-conditioning year round to protect the books and furnishings from mold
and mildew. Second, the building's electricity was not submetered, and quantifying the school's actual
energy consumption had been difficult. Finally, the non air-conditioned hallway between the classrooms
had a vaulted uninsulated ceiling that frequently reached temperatures exceeding 90°F. To keep the
hallway cool, classroom doors into the hallway were frequently left open. The school recognized the
comfort issue, but upgrading this already energy-efficient building had proved difficult to justify based on
energy cost reductions alone.
The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) approached
Marianne Brown, Principal, to learn if OSES would
participate in FSEC's study on the efficacy of highly
reflective roof coatings. Recognizing an opportunity to
improve her school and also support energy research,
she encouraged the FSEC project team to proceed, and
assigned Dan Fiore, OSES Facility Administrator, to
work with them on the project.
To establish a baseline for measuring energy savings
and temperature reductions, FSEC began in May 1994 to record air-conditioning energy use and roof,
plenum, and classroom temperatures for one year. When a simple white acrylic coating manufactured by
Kool Seal Corporation was applied to the roof in May 1995, the reflectivity of the roof increased from 23
percent to 68 percent. FSEC then monitored the building for one year after the upgrade. They found that
because of the reduced amount of heart entering the building, OSES' chiller's annual energy consumption
had declined by an estimated 13,000 kWh, and its annual average electric power demand was reduced by
10 percent. Even more impressive was that during the period when electric power rates were highest
(summer weekdays), peak electric power demand had fallen by 5.6 kW, or 35 percent. In total, OSES'
roof coating was saving the school $850 per year.
The school experienced these savings even though it was already using an efficient air-conditioning
chiller and the prevailing electric rates were low. Not reflected in the net benefits, however, is the value of
the increased student and faculty comfort because of lower classroom and hallway temperatures. "It made
a tremendous difference, especially in the hallway. It used to be like a greenhouse in there from May
through October," Brown remarked on the improved classroom conditions, "We also wanted them to coat
the roof because we believed it would reduce roof maintenance and lengthen the life of the existing roof."
Fiore remarked on OSES' experience with energy-saving roofing products: "Our experience has been
good with the roof coating. Thirteen years ago, I had an earlier opportunity to try out a reflective coating
on our church, and the results were excellent. I would recommend to those considering a change in their
roofing that they strongly consider reflective roof products, based on their low maintenance and strong
performance."
To learn more about ENERGY STAR® Labeled Roof Products, go to http.V/www.enerevstar. vov.
Or call the toll-free ENERGY STAR Hotline at 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937)
"It made a tremendous
difference, especially in the
hallway. It used to be like a
greenhouse in there from May
through October."
— Marianne Brown
June 2000

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