A Historical Review of Technical Activities at CRRC

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) was registered as a U.S. based nonprofit organization in 1998. The primary purpose of the CRRC is to measure, rate, and label the optical properties (solar reflectance and thermal emittance) of roofing products. For nearly 25 years, the CRRC Technical Committee (TC) has systematically addressed issues related to the measuring and labeling of roofing materials. This involved evaluating the radiative performance of roofing products, their application, their performance in the field (aging of solar reflectance and thermal emittance), and appropriate test methods and measurement devices. This has led the CRRC to evaluate various measurement techniques and their application by independent laboratory operators. In the process, the CRRC has adopted, modified, and introduced several American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards into the CRRC Product Rating Program. In 2019, CRRC expanded its scope and mission to include the rating of exterior wall materials. The experience of CRRC could be a valuable asset to international communities that are interested in pursuing the development of cool roofs and cool exterior walls programs as urban heat island mitigation strategies; building energy efficiency measures to reduce cooling energy use; indoor and outdoor comfort improvements; increased outdoor air quality; and to counter the impacts of climate change. This paper provides an overview of the technical issues that the CRRC has addressed over the last 25 years that have led to a third-party product rating system that is widely adopted across the United States.