"Where The Oil Goes"

I wanted to take a moment today to illustrate the makeup of a barrel of oil, and how it's used.

Of course, the oil goes to a refinery, and the portion of material used in roofing products is called "Residuum".

You will see it also described as "Asphalt Base". In the United States, we consume asphalt products in two major applications.

1.) Road Building : 80%
2.) Roofing Products : 20%

Of course, they both have similar radiant absorption properties, and it is simply impossible to defy laws of physics, and expect it to not get hot. This is where most people who are laymen regarding the roofing discipline are (in my opinion) being misled. Most of you probably think that white shingles, or white modified bitumen is reflective, but in reality, has a very low SRI of approximately .25.

Ron, it's white, so why doesn't it "reflect"? Well it does, but very, very little. But it's the radiant absorption, or "heat gain" that is generally (conditions vary slightly) twice that of ambient temperature. So on a nice hot day here in Florida, at 95 degrees (assume all measurements to be Fahrenheit), the roof can easily, I repeat easily, attain surface temperatures in excess of 180 degrees.

The roof surface stays hot well into the evening, and a heat island effect of between 6-8 degrees higher than surrounding areas is typical. I keep trying to come up with new ways to say this, but petroleum based roofs are singular in dimension, get very hot, create a huge demand on energy, are unsafe, and contaminate water supplies by introducing large amounts of nitrogen andf phosphorous into our tributaries.

Okay, enough of that for now, but there is a reason why huge retailers (Wal-Mart being the best example) do not use petroleum based roof systems. Can you imagine the monthly energy bill for a Wal-Mart Super Center at 250,000 sq. ft.? You may believe Wal-Mart is alert, and cares a great deal about a 20% energy reduction. I cannot comprehend the dollar value when multiplied by all their stores, but they sure can.

Is your City Council smarter than Wal-Mart? Nope.
County Commission? Nope.
Congress? Of course not.
Senate? No way.

This is simply "Common Sense", and while our Secretary of Energy supports it, no governing agencies adopt it. The people who actually have to pay the bills care about it, and use white synthetic thermoplastic, and save money. The government uses oil, and loses money.

I invite you to make an appointment with a school board member in your district, and ask "why?" Their pensive stare will not amuse you. I'm one person, and I'm challenging government agencies to justify this heinous waste of taxpayer money.

When we run out of fresh water, it will be too late. And to think we actually "PAID" a premium for the contamination, when we didn't have to, is the absolute definition of "irresponsible". If you would like this point shared with a decision maker in your jurisdiction, simply send me a name and email address, and I will do it for you.

Thank you once again for visiting with me today. Reject negativity, and keep looking "UP".

Respect,

Robert R. "Ron" Solomon
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