SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF ROOF SYSTEMS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF A BUILDING TO SUPPORT
AN IDEAL STUDY FRAMEWORK
1 Introduction
Construction is one of the industries with the most significant potential for enhancing global energy
efficiency and sustainability through low-cost techniques (Ascione et al., 2016). The construction industry
uses 35% of the produced energy and releases 40% of CO2 into the earth's atmosphere. The construction
industry is the largest consumer of raw materials and produces waste material, which negatively impacts
the environment (UN Environment, 2017). Residential (steep-slope roofs) and commercial buildings
(steep-slope and low-elope roofs) consume about 40% of the total energy usage in the USA (Seiferlein et
al., 2004). Apart from giving the relief from the outdoor temperature, it is designed to keep the building
safe. If the building envelope is not correctly designed, then both thermal comfort and energy efficiency
will become lower. Therefore, what design the exterior of a structure has can influence its energy
consumption. Among all the components of the building envelope, the roof appears to have the greatest
temperature fluctuations despite being exposed to the outside environment at all contact points. On clear
days the heat of solar radiation, the cooling by radiating infrared during the night, and rain make an
impact on the roof unlike the other building components.
This research is developed to conduct an in-depth analysis of the roofing industry by gathering the findings
of the previous studies in one place and presenting an accurate comparison between a standard roof and
a cool roof. This study is going to consider the different factor affecting the performance of a roof and their
impact on energy efficiency. We need to conduct an in-depth examination on the cool roofs, pros and cons
in the context of sustainable building envelopes in order to stay updated with the most recent
developments in the field of sustainable building envelopes. This research will create a path for the
construction industry for future research and implementation by giving them a practical knowledge of
what cool roofs are. The main worth of this paper is in its capability to integrate the current knowledge
and give a complete comprehension of the performance of cool roofs pertaining to different climates.
2 Methodology
Framework for RO – 1
This study examines the effect of changing albedo and reflectance scores on energy efficiency for various
roofing systems. The PSALSAR framework (Andriuškevičius et al., 2022) was used to identify factors
affecting roof performance and conduct a systematic literature review in six phases as shown in Fig 1.
Table 1 shows the framework for a systematic literature review using the PSALSAR approach and the
methods used to reach the outcomes of each phase.
2.1 Protocol
A logical process of a Systematic Literature Review toward this article is to use which a consolidated
method for the evaluation of roof performance impact on energy efficiency. The aim of the SLR was to
delve into the individual and combined effects of variables that affect the energy efficiency of the roofing
industry and the attempts at quantifying indicators of such, from previously performed studies. The first
phase of the study was to build a business-sector steering group to define the aim and scope through
discussion of all involved stakeholders.
2.2 Search
Various combinations of keywords including, but are not limited to, ‘cool roof’, ‘energy efficiency’, ‘albedo’,
‘reflectance’, and ‘insulation’. Table 2 shows the results of a search run on eleven (11) databases using a
combination of the keywords mentioned above.
The various search results from all the databases were further categorized in Table 3 based on the Boolean
logic combinations of keywords.
2.3 Appraisal / Review
The steering committee comprised subject matter experts (SMEs) who were involved in identifying and
validating factors that affect the energy efficiency of a building. The following factors were identified
through an extensive literature review.
>Type and sample size of the roofs investigated, study location, climate, temperature range, the color of
the roof membrane (albedo and reflectance scores), the duration of data capture, type of study (case
study or simulationbased), study limitations, and conclusions.
2.4 Synthesis/Analysis
At the data extraction stage, the relevant information from the selected articles was extracted to
determine the effect of various roofing systems on energy efficiency. This process involved collecting data
from each article that can be used for synthesizing and analyzing the data. The raw data was organized
based on the study design parameters and the factors that were identified in the appraisal and review
phase. There are twelve (12) study design parameters – Sample Size, Area of Roof, Location, Color,
Insulation, Reflectance, Albedo, Hot Weather, Cold Weather, Duration, Simulation, and Real-World. These
parameters are defined in Appendix – A. Studies are organized based on the inclusion of these parameters
in their analysis for the effect of a cool roof on energy efficiency.
2.5 Analysis/Findings
At the information investigation arrange, the method of analyzing the extricated data was carried out to
set up related data which answers the investigate questions postured. This organize aimed to finding out
repeating designs, anomalies and conditions within the information as well as to reach at valuable
experiences from this. The method of information examination was made by methodicallly going through
the data that was compiled information are not the sole protect of specialists, and shoppers can presently
categorize, recognize patterns and subjects on their possess.
2.6 Report
The final phase involves presenting the results of the literature review in a clear and concise manner which
includes a summary of the findings, recommendations for future research, and limitations of the study
Framework for RO – 2
Identifying and sorting from recent and useful studies is vital to lay the foundation for a perfect study. The
main objective is to consider the variety of the performance indices of the buildings that represent the
energy efficiency parameters in the studies. The next step was to carry out a survey within the industry,
aiming to clarify the perception of roof experts on these parameters that influence the quality of the
performance of the roof and of the building's energy efficiency. Survey answers will be employed to work
out a perfect study format centered on the top factors that influence the performance of the roof and the
power efficiency of the building.
Figure 2: Framework for RQ 2
The study's parameters that should be further investigated can be decided using this ranking. For instance,
if the survey results indicate that insulation is the most critical parameter, the study can look at the
efficacy of various insulation types and how they affect energy efficiency. Based on ten (10) survey
responses, these parameters were compared using the following table. The survey is in Appendix B.
3 Results and Discussion
The primary objective of the careful examination was to check the influence of reflectivity and albedo on
the efficiency of buildings. The primary reason centered around energy consumption reduction, dollar
savings, and temperature reduction that can be realized by implementing cool roof systems. To achieve
this target, the survey covered 77 papers which were from diversified types of sources such as academic
papers, technical reports, and other reputable publications. The researches were selected based on their
relevance to the topic and the technologies used to measure the relationship among reflectance, albedo,
and photosynthesis efficiencies.
3.1 Data Sample
The studies investigated for energy efficiency of various roof systems provide a comprehensive
understanding of the geographical footprint as it is a critical factor that influences the efficiency of the
system. The studies were analyzed in different regions of the world, including the United States of
America, Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and South America.
Figure 3 presents the geographical distribution of various data points used in the studies analyzing the
energy efficiency of roofs. The data points were collected from around the world and categorized based on
their geographical location.
Table 5: Distribution of data points
Table 5 depicts the distribution of studies investigating the energy efficiency of roofs in different regions of
the world. The majority of the studies in all four categories were done in the USA, followed by Asia,
Europe, and others.
3.2 Low Slope vs Steep Slope
The information underneath appears the impact of reflectance and albedo on the vitality proficiency of a
building for more incline roof and steep-slope roof-based [Link] productivity is characterized as
the rate alter in vitality utilization of a standard roof and a roof framework adjustment.
Table 6: Roof system modifications for low slope and steep slope roofs
Figure 6 shows the effect of reflectance on energy efficiency for low-slope and steep-slope roofs of all
colors. For every change in reflectance by 10 units, there is an increase in energy efficiency by 4.5% for
low-slope roofs and 1.5% for steep-slope roofs.
Figure 7 shows the effect of albedo on energy efficiency for low-slope and steepslope roofs of all colors.
For every change in albedo by 0.1 units, there is an increase in energy efficiency by 2.2% for low-slope
roofs and 5.5% for steep-slope roofs. Steep slope roofs have better performance with higher albedo as it is
a product of the lightness of a roof membrane.
3.3 Simulation vs Real-World
The data below show the effect of reflectance and albedo on the energy efficiency of a building for
simulation and real-world-based studies. Energy efficiency is defined as the percentage change in energy
usage of a standard roof and a roof system modification.
Table 7 presents the different types of roof system modifications for simulation and real-world studies.
Figure 8 shows the effect of reflectance on energy efficiency for real-world and simulation-based studies.
For every change in reflectance by 10 units, there is an increase
Figure 9 shows the effect of albedo on energy efficiency for real-world and simulation-based studies. For
every change in albedo by 0.1 units, there is an increase in energy efficiency by 3.6% for real-world studies
and 3.1% for simulation-based studies.
To decide yearly roof execution, most thinks about utilized a brief information capture length amid
particular months. This may not donate an exact representation of the longterm affect of cool rooftops on
vitality proficiency, and extra investigate is required to completely get it cool roof yearly execution.
4 Conclusion
Conduct the research of the roof system and often conclude that the cool roof system and enough
insulation have to be implemented for lowering energy consumption. The cool surfaces of roof systems
are fabricated to reflect more sunlight and absorb lesser amount of heat thereby energy need for air
conditioning will be reduced slightly cooling down the entire environment. To begin with, the right
insulation also has a lot of influence on the maintenance of temperatures inside, the reduction of heat
transfer, and, in general, the objective of overall energy efficiency which is achieved by lowering the cost
of both heating and cooling.
On the other hand, students are aware of diverse advantages of green roof systems that apart from energy
efficiency provide natural insulation and stormwater management. Through the use of vegetation on the
roof surface, green roof systems lessen cities’ heat island effect and improve energy efficiency. On the
other hand, students accent the material choice, ventilation, and regular check-up in achieving energy
efficiency of roof systems, thus, demand the whole approach for sustainable building practices.
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