In cases in which the roof may be ready for replacement, compliant roofing materials can easily be selected.

If your roof does not meet credit criteria, investigate options for retrofitting the roof in order to become compliant.

If your building has an existing vegetated roof, confirm that it covers at least 50% of the roof area.

SRI value not high enough? Check the weighted-average value, which is calculated automatically through the LEED Online credit form. This situation applies to flat roof with SRI value less than 78, but covering greater than 75% of the roof area, or steep roofs with SRI less than 29 covering more than 75%. For example, for a flat 10,000 ft2 roof, if 7,500 ft2 (75%) is covered in a material with an SRI of 78 the project qualifies for the credit. An identical building with an SRI-roof-value of 59 for the entire 10,000 ft2 would also comply.

Quantify areas covered by any mechanical equipment or other appurtenances such as plumbing stacks, air vents, skylights, and solar panels. These areas will be deducted from the total roof area when calculating compliance in the LEED Online credit form. 

Different SRI values are required for low-sloped roofs (SRI >78) and steep-sloped roofs (SRI >29). 

If the SRI value is high enough, confirm that the compliant area covers at least 75% of your building’s roof.

The LEED Reference Guide provides a table of typical SRI values for common roofing materials. These values are for reference only and cannot be substituted for the actual product SRI value in your LEED documentation.

If you can’t find published SRI numbers for your existing roof, you can send a piece of the roofing material to a lab for testing to confirm its SRI value. However, this is not commonly done because most buildings do not want to take out a piece of the roof. The Cool Roof Rating Council website provides a list of available Accredited Independent Testing Laboratories across the country (see Resources). Testing fees will vary, but are typically a few hundred dollars; check with each lab on its testing fee.

If your roof is light-colored and appears to be compliant, track down the manufacturer’s documentation confirming the roof’s SRI value. Product cut sheets typically include this information. Manufacturers might report an SRI value, or they may provide values for reflectance and emittance (both are numbers between 0 and 1) from which SRI can be calculated using the LEED Online credit form.