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I am looking for inexpensive ways to reduce our energy bill and thought of creating extra shade on our roof by covering a couple feet of the roof deck with a light, porous mesh of some sort. Theoretically, this could lower the temperature in the building and thus reduce the amount of chilling needed. Do you have any experience with this? Could you make any suggestions?

Doug Van Epps
Operations Facility Manager
Wyndham Hotel Group
Phoenix, AZ
doug.vanepps@wyndhamworldwide.com


James Elledge replies ...

I do not have any direct experience with this interesting energy cutting approach, but I did find some patents based upon a solar shield for roofs; I have not yet found anyone actually manufacturing the product. The design may have a prohibitive cost versus payback, since the installation of the support structure for the shielding material is quite massive.

Here are some of the patents which you can view and see if they are similar to your thoughts:

You can view all of the patent information by registering for free on the PatentStorm site.

Elledge, facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit Alliance Companies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and is a member of TFM's Editorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the "Ask The Expert" portion of the magazine's Web site. To pose a question, visit www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/fm_viewexpert.asp.

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