This New Roof Law is Very Cool

Los Angeles has long been considered a beacon of coolness – cool celebrities, cool clubs, cool music and now, cool roofs.

Effective October 1st, 2015 Los Angeles passed the Cool Roof Law. The Los Angeles Green Building Code now requires all new constructions, including rentals, to have a “cool roof.” They are the first big city in the country to implement this type of law.

If you already own a home and need to replace your roof (or at least 50% of it) you will need to replace it with a cool roof.

So, what is a cool roof? Cool roofs use different materials than used in traditional roofing. The new materials allow sunlight to be reflected more and absorbed less. According to the California Apartment Association, this can lead to a 50 degree decrease in temperature on a building’s roof. It can also help to lower utility costs.

If you are worried about cost you will be pleased to hear that The Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power has a rebate program on cool roofing materials. Cool roofs are more expensive than traditional roofing materials but are more cost effective in the long term.

JB Wholesale Roofing and Building Supplies is a great local resource for help obtaining materials for your roof and hiring a contractor to complete the work. They have seven locations in Southern California, including a location in Pasadena.

You can reach the Pasadena Branch at (626) 799-0440.

For information on JB Wholesale Roofing and Building Supplies please visit www.jbroofing.com.

To view the Cool Roof ordinance please visit http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/2013standards/ordinances/los-angeles/Cool_Roof_ord_183149.pdf.