There have been growing concerns over the rise in temperature of our planet and scientists are proposing a full-scale measure in mitigating this crisis. Over the years, we have witnessed some of the devastating effects of global warming. For example, there has been an increase in atmospheric temperature, rise in sea level and flooding, drought and desertification, etc. As a result of these events, it is paramount that every one of us joins forces if we want to save our planet.

One simple technology that has proven useful is the ‘Roof’. Yes, you heard that right. Our roofs have the power to offset some of the damages already done.

Let me explain how. I’m sure we all know that If you wear a dark coloured shirt on a sunny day, you would sweat more than someone wearing a light coloured shirt on that same day, that is because dark coloured materials have the ability to absorb light, while light coloured materials have the ability to reflect light. This phenomenon is also applicable to roofs.

Scientists have proven that urban areas absorb more heat than rural areas, and this is largely due to the fact that we use dark shades for roofs and pavements. Research has proven that dark coloured roofs such as black or grey absorb 80% of energy from the sun, and as a result, the surface temperature of the roof is much hotter than the surrounding air. Some of that absorbed heat is lost into the building, raising the internal temperature, and requiring additional air-conditioning to compensate, ergo, more energy. Dark-coloured roofs absorb more heat, raising the temperature in cities, this phenomenon is called the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’. So the question is if our roofs were made with lighter colours, would it improve the situation?

The good news is that it will. Lighter roofing materials, by contrast, reflect about 90 per cent or more of incoming solar energy back into the atmosphere. As a matter of fact, according to research, if the 100 largest cities in the world replaced their dark roofs with light-coloured shingles and their asphalt-based roads with concrete or other light-coloured materials, it could offset 44 metric gigatons of Green House Gas emissions. Another research showed that if 100 square feet of a roof can be turned from dark colour to a lighter colour, there would be an offset of one ton of CO2 emissions. That’s 10%, so if a home has about 1000 square feet of light coloured roof, they would be offsetting about 10 tons of CO2 emission. This is a huge value, and the benefits are outstanding.

At the just concluded COP 26, in Scotland, World leaders have pledged resources to combat global warming crises. The fight against Global warming is a collective one, it is something we must all come together to achieve. At Plusworld Roofing, having been in the roofing business for over a decade, we pride ourselves as the biggest and most innovative roofing company in Nigeria. We are very passionate about our planet, and as a result, have invested heavily in Research and Personnel to be able to cater for the needs of our clients.

At Plusworld, we have highly trained personnel that can handle all your roofing needs, so if you ever need to talk to someone about how you can make your roof environmentally friendly and save our planet, do not hesitate to reach out to us.