January 2015
| Business World
175
The benefit of having a more reflective sur-
face is that radiation is reflected back into
space instead of heating up the planet, which
also impacts insulation costs and energy effi-
ciency of the structure itself. A quality that is
only bolstered by the dirt-resistant qualities
of the stainless steel.
"The immediate impact is if that roof is re-
flecting most of the energy generated toward
it by the sun," Dr. McGuire says. "Then all
the systems below that roof -insulation, heat-
ing and air conditioning- have to work a lot
less. There's a huge energy impact for the in-
ternal envelope and there's also a secondary
impact for the urban heat in effect. Meaning
that since the roof is not retaining as much
energy, it doesn't take very long for it to radi-
ate that energy once the sun goes away. So it
can help in keeping urban heat in check."
How, scientifically, does this process occur?
The radiation emitted from the sun makes
its way through Earth's atmosphere until it
