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BUILDING ENERGY CODES
State of California Title 24: California Code of Regulations

California’s building energy code prescribes a cool roof for many low slope, non-residential applications in new construction. Qualifying roofs must be tested by a Cool Roof Rating Council approval laboratory and receive a CRRC label, be over conditioned space, and have a slope of less than 2:12. Initial thermal emittance must be 75 percent or greater and initial solar reflectance must be 70 percent or greater.

As of this writing, cool roofs are required on low-slope buildings when the owner or developer is using the prescriptive envelope component method for meeting Title 24 requirements. It is the simplest, most cost-effective way to comply with the standard in commercial re-roofing projects. The following quick reference chart summarizes three different methods for complying with Title 24:

Envelope Component Approach
Complexity Simplest
Flexibility Least flexible
Tradeoffs Does not allow tradeoffs - each building component must meet or exceed the requirement for that climate zone
Calculations Fewest calculations
Cool roof requirement   Cool roof is required for low-sloped buildings
Overall Envelope Approach
Complexity More complex
Flexibility Somewhat flexible
Tradeoffs Allows tradeoffs - if one building component does not meet the requirement but another exceeds it, it may offset the component that does not meet the requirement
Calculations Requires more calculations
Cool roof requirement Cool roof is not necessarily required
Whole Building Performance Approach
Complexity Most complex
Flexibility Most flexible
Tradeoffs Allows tradeoffs - if one building component does not meet the requirement but another exceeds it, it may offset the component that does not meet the requirement
Calculations Requires computer simulations
Cool roof requirement   Cool roof is not necessarily required

www.energy.ca.gov
Q&A on the standards

City of Chicago
Chicago requires cool roofs on low-slope buildings as part of its Energy Code (Chapter 18-13 of the Municipal Code of Chicago) to minimize the urban heat island effect. For low slope roofs installed prior to 12/31/08, the initial and weathered reflectance requirement is 0.25; roofs must meet or exceed ENERGY STAR levels after that date. Planted roofs are allowed.
egov.cityofchicago.org

State of Georgia
Georgia added a “white roof amendment” to its state building code to reduce the insulation requirements (and associated construction cost), as expressed in a roof/ceiling U-value adjustment, when a reflective roof is installed. Qualifying roofs must have solar reflectance and thermal emittance values of 0.75 or more.
rules.sos.state.ga.us
www.coolcommunities.org

State of Florida
Florida reduces the insulation requirements (and associated construction cost), as expressed in a roof/ceiling U-factor value adjustment, when a reflective roof is installed. Qualifying roofs must have solar reflectance and thermal emittance values of 0.70 and 0.75 respectively.
www.floridabuilding.org

U.S. Government
Federal Acquisition Regulation Case 1999-011 (formerly Executive Order # 13123) requires federal office buildings (Department of Defense, General Services Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to reduce energy consumption 30 percent by 2005, and 35 percent by 2010; federal industrial labs 20 percent by 2005 and 25 percent by 2010. ENERGY STAR products must be used when available.
www.acqnet.gov