Did you ever notice that the basement is always cooler than the roof? Of course, you have, it is common knowledge. Did you know that the cost to cool the first floor of a building is vastly lower than the cost to cool the office on the top floor of the 100-storey building? It is because heat rises and that top floor has 99 floors of people, machines and more under it heating up the air above. In addition, it has the roof, which is heated by the sun, so it is a heat sandwich, with a high cost of cooling in the middle, the top floor.

Commercial Rooftop Cooling Systems

There are many ways that you can use your roof to stay cool.

First, there are the air conditioners that are fitted to the roof. One reason to do this is it provides easy exhaust from the air conditioner, without much of a need for altering anything in the building. In addition, the air conditioner can be connected directly into the existing duct systems. Another big plus is the fact that with the air conditioner on the top of the building, it can cool down the top floor without having to move the air very far, which is more efficient and saves you a lot of money on your energy bill.

Another interesting thing that is done for rooftop cooling systems is reflective surfaces on roofs, making them cool roofs. Roofs can be designed so they are closer to white in colour because white reflects a lot of heat and light back into the air and away from the building. It decreases the need for air conditioning and the costs associated with that on your energy bill and to the environment. Having a cool roof, especially in a hotter climate, can result in 15 percent savings on air conditioning energy use in a single-storey building. Other benefits including reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. If all flat roofs in warm climates were whitened, it would increase global reflectivity by 10 percent, and offset 24 gigatonnes of emissions in the atmosphere, or the same as taking 300 million cars off the road for 20 years.

Going back to rooftop air conditioners though, there are several reasons for this:

  • A rooftop air conditioner is secure, and you don’t have to worry about vandalism. It is also safe from damage because an air conditioner on the ground can be hit by vehicles or other items.
  • There isn’t always space beside a building for a huge air conditioning unit. Having an air conditioner on the roof saves space, which frees up space within the commercial building.
  • It is also a cleaner system because the units on the roof are not exposed to the same levels of dust, dirt and other debris that ground units can take in on a daily basis.

If you have a commercial building and you are looking at commercial cooling systems, consider painting your roof white, and installing a rooftop air conditioner.

Our Professional Team At Climate Works Are Your Ottawa Commercial Cooling Experts. Contact Us Today To Schedule Your Free Consultation.