Eagle Roofing Products Introduces Certified Energy-Efficient Cool Roof Tile.

RIALTO, Calif. -- A pioneering manufacturer in the growing movement to produce energy-efficient, "green" materials, Eagle Roofing Products, a division of Burlingame Industries, today introduced its Cool Roof Tile line. This selection of products incorporates multiple profiles and represents reflective roof tile choices in 21 colors that have officially earned an energy-efficient, "cool roof" rating by the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) accredited independent testing laboratory.

The certified reflective colors in Eagle's Cool Roof Tile line are a major component of the company's new Green Program initiative, a series of products and environmentally responsible systems and practices designed to provide greater energy efficiency, reduce waste and pollution as well as preserve needed resources. With 21 color options available in standard weight and lightweight tile, flat and curved profiles, customers can select from among 42 individual Cool Roof Tile choices. Certified cool colors range from the expected white on white, to true terracottas and traditional tan and grey blends.

CRRC Certification

The strict product rating program of the CRRC is widely accepted as the standard by roofing manufacturers, building code organizations, energy service providers, architects and specifiers, property owners and community planners. As an independent, third-party organization, the CRRC provides non-biased, credible reflectance and emittance property data for roofing materials. Having passed the CRRC tests and earned its cool rating on its Cool Roof Tile line, Eagle will now submit these products for Energy Star approval, another series of energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy. Numerous utility rebate programs, green building associations, and building code bodies recognize cool roof ratings by either the CRRC or Energy Star.

"The CRRC's rating information and certification plays a significant role as customers increasingly look at the energy efficiency of roofing technologies in evaluating their purchasing decisions," said Jay Banister, Eagle Roofing Products' National Green Program Manager. "Having our tile colors earn a CRRC rating gives our customers new products that can improve the energy efficiency of their buildings while positively impacting the environment.

"Best of all, because the tile is an Eagle product, customers know they'll still be getting the same durable roof tile without sacrificing the aesthetic beauty that complements any architectural design."

California's 2008 Title 24 requirements are expected to define acceptable reflectance levels for roofing material compliance. In addition, customers reroofing with products from Eagle's Cool Roof Tile line may qualify for available rebates through local utility companies. Programs such as Southern California Edison's Cool Roof Rebate Program offer residential customers rebates from 10 cents to 20 cents per square foot for reroofing projects. Interested customers should check local utility and government programs in their area for details on the rebates.

Solar Reflectance and Thermal Emittance Values

The two primary factors which the CRRC tests to determine its rating are solar reflectance and thermal emittance. According to the U.S. EPA, "the less solar radiation materials absorb, the cooler they are. In addition to absorbing less heat, the coolest roofing materials radiate away any absorbed heat."

Solar reflectance is the percentage of solar energy that is reflected back to the sky by a roof's surface. Thermal emittance is defined as the percentage of energy a material can radiate away after the energy is absorbed. Both properties are measured from 0 to 1 or in percentages from 0 to 100 percent. In the simplest terms, the higher the values, the cooler the roof.

All of the colors in Eagle's Reflective Roof Tile line recorded thermal emittance values of more than .76, meaning that the tile radiated back 76 percent of the solar energy it had initially absorbed. The 21 tile colors that were tested and certified recorded reflective values greater than 20 percent, with 14 of the colors achieving reflective values greater than 37 percent and two of the colors over 80 percent.

"The inherent energy efficiency of Eagle's Cool Roof Tile offers a great advantage to builders looking to distinguish their properties and increase their sales potential," said Banister. "These tile colors are particularly beneficial to homeowners as they can help reduce the money spent on air conditioning and may even result in rebates from their utilities, a real benefit considering the escalating costs of electricity and fuel."

For additional information on Eagle Roofing Products, its Cool Roof Tile or Green Program Initiative, contact Melissa Pellerito, marketing communications manager for Eagle Roofing Products, at [phone] or visit www.eagleroofing.com.

About Eagle Roofing Products

Eagle Roofing Products, a division of Burlingame Industries, was founded in 1989 with the goal of manufacturing quality concrete roof tile in modern, automated and high-speed plants. From the beginning, Eagle Roofing Products has prided itself on building strong relationships with customers of all sizes by listening and responding to their requests. Eagle Roofing Products is continually expanding its production capacity and its market coverage in order to offer its superior products nationwide. Having earned AAA rating by the Better Business Bureau, Eagle maintains strong sales and customer service support at the local as well as national level. Eagle is also committed to seeking out trend setting technologies and products that help the environment while helping our customers and their customers. Our green building products and green manufacturing process are a major focus of the company's time and investments. For more information on Eagle Roofing Products, please visit www.eagleroofing.com.