Industrial News

Among the presenters was Custom-Bilt Metals, a longtime leader in the painted metal industry, which was one of the first to utilize and test new, highly reflective energy-saving metal roofing systems. The audience included several members of Congress as well as David K Garman, under secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. The event was co-sponsored by members of the Senate and House Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses.

"We encountered a great deal of interest in the energy-saving potential of cool roof technologies," said Tony Chiovare, president of Custom-Bilt Metals. "After they saw the results that are being achieved, members of Congress and congressional staff personnel were particularly interested in learning what they could do to help make cool roof technology even more popular and successful."

Custom-Bilt Metals participated in the event at the invitation of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which has developed a test site that is currently monitoring the energy savings in homes that were built using Custom-Bilt Metals’ ULTRA-Cool™ coating, a new high reflective finish developed by BASF Corporation’s Industrial Coatings Division. Another key participant was Bob Scichili, a consultant to Custom-Bilt Metals who was instrumental in developing the finish when he was employed by BASF.

"The Congressional Energy EXPO was an unqualified success from our perspective," said Chiovare. "We had an opportunity to talk about cool roof technologies to several dozen interested parties from government, who are in a position to make such systems even more attractive through tax benefits or other incentives."

Chiovare noted the energy bill that is currently pending in Congress provides a tax credit for homeowners who take energy conservation steps such as installing cool roof systems.

"The people we met at the Congressional Energy EXPO were very interested in learning what they could do to encourage the use of this energy saving technology," Chiovare said. "The questions they asked us were focused on what cool roof systems can accomplish, and what government can do to encourage their use."

Cool roofs such as Custom-Bilt’s ULTRA-Cool system work by reflecting a greater amount of the sun’s infrared energy, Chiovare explained. According to test results at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory demonstration site, a metal roof with a cool roof finish can be as much as 55 degrees cooler on a sunny day. This could produce a nearly 20 percent saving in air-conditioning costs. In addition, cool roof technology can also help reduce the "urban heat island" effect, which causes increased demands on power plants.

"Widespread use of cool roof systems could have a tremendous positive impact in reducing energy consumption, not just for individual homeowners but for entire communities," Chiovare said. "We believe strongly in the importance of energy-saving cool roof technology, and we are committed to helping develop this technology to its full potential."

Custom-Bilt Metals was one of the first manufacturers to incorporate cool roof technology in its metal shingles, metal shakes and standing seam metal roofing products. A leading supplier in the painted metal industry since 1974, the company currently stocks more than 2,000 different items in its 15 national branch locations. For more information on Custom-Bilt Metals or metal roofing systems in general, contact Tony Chiovare, president, at 1-800-826-7813, or visit the company’s Web site at www.custombiltmetals.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: (LEFT TO RIGHT) Tony Chiovare, president, Custom-Bilt Metals; David Garman, Under Secretary, US Department of Energy; Robert Scichili, a consultant for the Cool Roofing Industry and Hashem Akbari, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
PHOTO CAPTION: (LEFT TO RIGHT) Tony Chiovare, president, Custom-Bilt Metals;; Congresswoman Barbara Lee, 9th District, California and Hashem Akbari, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.