News – Blog
6 May 2022
Guest blog post by the Million Cool Roofs Challenge Philippines team
There is a reason why there are widely used expressions about “keeping a roof over your head”, it’s a key characteristic of daily life that separates modern society from our nomadic past.
A reliable roof is critical to providing shelter and protecting us from the elements.
In hot climates, beyond rain and wind, our roofs also protect us from the sun’s heat. In Manila – home of the Sumasalamin Sa Sun (Reflect the Sun) initiative, one of the ten MCR teams – Mother Nature is particularly rough on our roofs. During the Million Cool Roofs Challenge, which ran from September 2019 to July 2021, she showed the residents of Manila all her power. In addition to the normal heavy rainy season (June-November), there were no fewer than eight typhoons as well as the Taal Volcano eruption, which covered Manila in ash in early 2020.
While our metal roofs, which are the norm here in Manila, are great for keeping out the rain, they are not so good at keeping out heat. Instead, they actually absorb heat and release much of it into the building at night when the air outside cools. The average temperature in Manila is about 27 ºC and metal roof surface temperatures are much higher during the day (commonly at least 65 ºC), warming our buildings and their residents. The daily heating and cooling of roofing materials also shortens roof life, meaning that periodic roof restoration is a must in this climate. This entails cleaning, sealing, and painting.
Sumasalamin Sa Sun, a partnership between Cornland International AB and Hyquin Advanced Cleaning and Coating Technologies, has seized the opportunity of regular roof restoration to introduce Manila’s communities to the benefits of cool roof technology. We have been working to create and satisfy market demand for cool roofs in the Philippines, demonstrating that by integrating cool roof technology into roof restoration services, cool roofs can be rolled out on a commercial basis to the property development and management industry. Despite persistent COVID-19 lockdowns – which, to some extent, are still in place – our team has succeeded in closing commercial contracts for restoring close to 24,000m 2 of roof area using cool roof coatings.
As the MCR Challenge comes to an end, we intend to continue working to create a market for cool roof services nationwide, expanding not only our own business, but creating spinoff business opportunities for others and robust green jobs in the process. This effort is a prime example of how developing countries can achieve green COVID-19 recovery while also taking action against and building resilience to the climate crisis. By adopting passive cooling technologies that substantially lower indoor air temperatures, we can reduce electricity consumption in cooled buildings and cut greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to the lengthening both the lifespan of roofs and the interval between roof maintenance.
