Cool Roof Rebate Program
Did You Know...Energy-efficient roofing materials, also called "cool roofs," can reduce roof temperature by as much as 60°F during the summer, which reduces your home energy requirements for air conditioning. Cool roofs reflect the sun's radiant energy before it penetrates into the interior of the home. In addition to reducing energy costs, a cool roof installation will lower the maintenance costs and increase the life cycle of your roof.
How It WorksWhen you install a cool roof on your home – the roofing materials must meet some minimum requirements depending on the slope of your roof. Some terms to be aware of when discussing materials and their energy efficiency and the slope of your roof are: solar reflectance, emittance, low sloop and steep sloop.
- Solar Reflectance is the fraction of the solar energy that is reflected by a roof, expressed as a number between zero and one. The higher the value, the better the roof reflects solar energy.
- Thermal Emittance is the amount of absorbed heat that is radiated from a roof, expressed as a number between zero and one. The higher the value, the better the roof radiates heat.
- Low Slope: A "low slope roof" is a roof surface with a maximum slope of 2 inches "rise" for 12 inches "run" as defined in American Society for Testing and Materials Standard E 1918-97.
- Steep Slope: Steep-slope roofs, or sloped roofs, are roof surfaces with a slope greater than 2 inches "rise" for 12 inches "run."
For a low sloop roof, with roofing materials having a solar reflectance greater than or equal to 0.70 and a thermal emittance greater than or equal to 0.75, there is a $ 0.20 per square foot rebate offered for a cool roof installation.
For a steep sloop roof, there are two tiers of rebates that you can qualify for.
To qualify for a Tier 1 rebate of $0.10 per square foot on a cool roof installation, the roofing materials must have a solar reflectance greater than or equal to 0.25 and less than 0.40 and a thermal emittance greater than or equal to 0.75.
To qualify for a Tier 2 rebate of $0.20 per square foot on a cool roof installation, the roofing materials must have a solar reflectance greater than or equal to 0.40 and a thermal emittance greater than or equal to 0.75.
The table below can help you and your contractor determine which rebate you qualify for and your contractor can advise you on which cool roof product is best suited for your home.
|
| Roof Type |
Tier Level |
Initial Solar Reflectance* |
Initial Thermal Emittance* |
Rebate |
| Low Slope |
N/A |
≥ 0.70 |
≥ 0.75 |
$0.20 per sq. ft | |
|
| Roof Type |
Tier Level |
Initial Solar Reflectance* |
Initial Thermal Emittance* |
Rebate |
| Steep Slope |
Tier 1 |
0.25 - 0.39 |
≥ 0.75 |
$0.10 per sq. ft. |
| Tier 2 |
≥ 0.40 |
≥ 0.75 |
$0.20 per sq. ft | |
*Note: Initial Solar Reflectance and Initial Thermal Emittance specifications must be rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council.
Ask your contractor to convert the "roofing square footage" into the actual square footage and indicate this information on the final invoice. A roofing square typically measures ten feet by ten feet square that equals 100 square feet (10 x 10 = 100 square feet) of a roofs surface area. This is an option that will be helpful in determining the square footage of the roof area.
Additional product specifications are:
- You must have a central air conditioning system (portable A/C systems and evaporative coolers a.k.a. swamp coolers do not qualify).
- Your home must be in climate zone 8, 9, 10, 13, 14 or 15. A list of qualifying zip codes is available here or you can call SCE at 1-800-736-4777 to see if your home is in a qualifying climate zone.
- Purchase and install roofing materials that meet the Initial Solar Reflectance and Initial Thermal Emittance specified below as rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council. A list of qualifying products is available.
- Low slope roof products must have an initial solar reflectivity of at least 0.70.
- Steep slope roof products must have an initial solar reflectivity of 0.25 or greater.
- Conventional architectural overhangs are allowable in this calculation.
How to Apply
- Call SCE at 1-800-736-4777 to request an application package.
- Contact a licensed C-39 contractor of your choice to provide an installation proposal for the qualifying product. You may wish to contact more than one contractor to obtain multiple proposals. You can contact the Contractors State License Board, CSLB, at 1 (800) 321-CSLB or go to their website, www.cslb.ca.gov, to confirm your contractor's license status.
- Inform each contractor from whom you obtain a proposal that you will be applying for a SCE rebate and must choose qualifying products in order to participate.
- Ask your contractor to help you estimate the total square footage of roofing. Conventional architectural overhangs are allowable in this calculation.
- Sign and submit the original application form(s) and all required documentation. The contractors invoice must include the square footage of the materials used and the appropriate product information to identify the materials as a cool roof material.
And The Legal Stuff...As of January 1, 2008, 100% of the rebate funds allocated for the Home Energy Efficiency Rebates (HEER) program is available.
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