Are you looking for the right color for your roof? Why not paint it white? White roofs are currently gaining popularity due to their many advantages, especially in the southern regions of Europe. We advise you to abandon the tradition of adopting a green roof and follow the trend. Discover in this article all the benefits, hidden or not, of opting for a white roof.

Increased orientation

A white roof, also known as “cool roofing”, is appealing to many people in hot cities worldwide. It is even required in some circumstances to avoid the heat island effect. For example, since 2008, the New York City Council has mandated that the roofs of buildings (administrative, professional, educational, etc.) be covered with white lacquer through the “Cool Roofs” program to reduce the spread of heat and lower the cost of the electricity bill of these buildings.

Creating interior coolness

White, a bright color, allows the sun’s rays to be reflected, unlike a dark color. As a result, it reflects a maximum of heat (up to 81%). In other words, the surface of a white roof does not absorb heat and remains relatively cool.

According to a 2017 study in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, a white roof reduces heat on the roofs by 30° C and indoors by 3-7° C. In this city, temperatures can go beyond 50° C. Then, during the study, nearly 3,000 roofs were painted white and coated with reflective materials. And it was found that the interior temperature cools down quickly.

An excellent alternative to thermal insulation

A dazzling white roof is an effective way to compensate for the lack of thermal insulation. Indeed, when it is impossible to install additional insulation for any reason, such as technical difficulty or lack of financial means, it is necessary to opt for a white roof covering which accumulates little heat.

A brake on global warming

A white roof is a real asset for the ecology because it also reduces the use of air conditioners, which decreases the misdeeds of air conditioning, such as greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution, overconsumption of energy, etc.

To go further in this ecological approach, some brands offer paints based on natural materials, such as a mixture of water, oysters, and eggshells.

On the one hand, covering the world with white roofs was, in 2019, an ambitious political proposal by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in terms of the fight against political warming.

On the other hand, this aligns with NASA’s aeronautical research in combating political warming.

Uniformity in urban planning

Painting all the roofs in a city white is a great way to standardize housing. It can even be a city’s identity. For example, let’s mention the case of white lime paint, which is typical of the villages in southern Spain and the Greek towns.

However, the rules governing the uniformity of housing for all inhabitants depend on your town’s Local Urban Plan (PLU). The latter is the only one that allows or forbids painting your roof white.

Unbeatable practicality

Painting your roof white is easy. As for the application of the paint, you only have to apply a waterproofing treatment to perpetuate, treat and clean your roof. Then, apply the paint with a roller and a brush. In terms of waterproofing, most roofing paints are waterproof and water repellent, which allows water to slide off quickly.