One of the primary reasons for the application of cool materials is their
energy and associated environmental impact on the built environment. Cool materials
are usually applied on the roof of buildings to reduce cooling energy demand. The
relative benefits of this reduction depend on the construction of the building, external
weather conditions and use of the building. Through experimental and computational
studies, it has been demonstrated that energy reduction benefits are significant in
cooling dominated climates but is also observed in moderate climates. This chapter
reviews available literature on this and also presents available simplified toolkits that
can be used in feasibility studies to determine whether or not energy benefits are likely
to materialize. The toolkits also calculate environmental benefits related to energy use
by buildings and related cost benefits to the user. This chapter also presents additional
environmental benefits related to the improvement of thermal comfort inside buildings
which are not air-conditioned, the improvement of external thermal comfort which
results from the mitigation of the urban heat island because of the use of cool materials
and the effect on general pollution in the cities and health.
Keywords: Energy use, cooling, heating, HVAC, building, climate, indoor comfort,
environmental impact, outdoor comfort, cool materials, cool roof, urban heat island,
pollution, health, urban design, building design, toolkit, evaluation tool.