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LEEDuser expert
Ashwini Arun
WSP
Sustainability Manager
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce heat islands1 to minimize impacts on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats.
Requirements
Option 1
Use roofing materials with a solar reflectance index (SRI)2 equal to or greater than the values in the table below for a minimum of 75% of the roof surface.
Roofing materials having a lower SIR value than those listed below ay be used if the weighted rooftop SRI average meets the following:
Implement a maintenance program that ensures all SRI surfaces are cleaned at least every 2 years to maintain good reflectance.
OR
Option 2
Install and maintain a vegetated roof that covers at least 50% of the roof area.
OR
Option 3
Install high-albedo and vegetated roof surfaces that, in combination, meet the following criteria:
|
Area Roof Meeting Minimum SRI ———————————————— 0.75 |
+ |
Area of Vegetated Roof —————————— 0.5 |
≥ | Total Roof Area |
Alternatively, a weighted approach may be used to calculate compliance for multiple materials:
2 The solar reflectance index (SRI) is a measure of the constructed surface's ability to reflect solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. It is defined so that a standardblack surface (reflectance 0.05, emittance 0.90) is 0 and a standard white surface (reflectance 0.80, emittance 0.90) is 100. to calculate the SRI for a given material, obtain the reflectance value and emittance value for the material. SRI is calculated according to ASTM E 1980. Reflectance is measured according to ASTM E 903, ASTM E 1918, or ASTM C 1549. Emittance is measured according to ASTM E408 or ASTM C 1371.
3 For the purposes of this credit, under cover parking is defined as parking underground, under deck, under roof, or under a building.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
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Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
We’re working on an international project and having a hard time finding a coating with a published value for Solar Reflectance Index. If the coating is white, can we assume that it qualifies?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Are solar panels always excluded from the roof area for the purposes of the credit calculations?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Why does the form calculate my high-albedo roof area, as a value greater than 100% of total roof area?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What needs to be included in the roof maintenance program?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To reduce heat islands1 to minimize impacts on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats.
Requirements
Option 1
Use roofing materials with a solar reflectance index (SRI)2 equal to or greater than the values in the table below for a minimum of 75% of the roof surface.
Roofing materials having a lower SIR value than those listed below ay be used if the weighted rooftop SRI average meets the following:
Implement a maintenance program that ensures all SRI surfaces are cleaned at least every 2 years to maintain good reflectance.
OR
Option 2
Install and maintain a vegetated roof that covers at least 50% of the roof area.
OR
Option 3
Install high-albedo and vegetated roof surfaces that, in combination, meet the following criteria:
|
Area Roof Meeting Minimum SRI ———————————————— 0.75 |
+ |
Area of Vegetated Roof —————————— 0.5 |
≥ | Total Roof Area |
Alternatively, a weighted approach may be used to calculate compliance for multiple materials:
2 The solar reflectance index (SRI) is a measure of the constructed surface's ability to reflect solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. It is defined so that a standardblack surface (reflectance 0.05, emittance 0.90) is 0 and a standard white surface (reflectance 0.80, emittance 0.90) is 100. to calculate the SRI for a given material, obtain the reflectance value and emittance value for the material. SRI is calculated according to ASTM E 1980. Reflectance is measured according to ASTM E 903, ASTM E 1918, or ASTM C 1549. Emittance is measured according to ASTM E408 or ASTM C 1371.
3 For the purposes of this credit, under cover parking is defined as parking underground, under deck, under roof, or under a building.
Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
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Upgrade to LEEDuser Premium to see how many projects achieved this credit. Try it free »
Got the gist of SSc7.2 but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Premium members get:
- Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
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- On-the-fly suggestions of useful items from the Documentation Toolkit and Credit Language.
In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
We’re working on an international project and having a hard time finding a coating with a published value for Solar Reflectance Index. If the coating is white, can we assume that it qualifies?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Are solar panels always excluded from the roof area for the purposes of the credit calculations?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Why does the form calculate my high-albedo roof area, as a value greater than 100% of total roof area?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What needs to be included in the roof maintenance program?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
LEEDuser expert
Ashwini Arun
WSP
Sustainability Manager