SBIR Phase I: Energy Efficient Composite Based Roofing

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project offers new technology for commercial/industrial buildings to replace the steel purlins in sloped roof construction with composite based panels. A little known fact is that 57% of cooling load in commercial buildings comes from waste heat given off by artificial lighting. The solution proposed is daylighting built into panels that filter the infrared energy in direct sunlight before it enters the building; saving significant amounts of lighting/air conditioning expense and demand on the grid. A unique assembly and weather sealing system enables the use of fiberglass/Argon insulation, offering high R-Values without the smoke hazard of foams. Using established data for roof contribution to commercial building heating load, 10 year sales of the proposed system could save 730,000 tons of carbon emissions from natural gas heating. The daylighting summer peak demand savings have the potential to take a 500MW coal fired power plant off line. The proposed approach breaks new ground in applying fire-safe, high strength composites to building applications. It will also lead to advances in the understanding of how to manage cooling loads in buildings while providing improved lighting and a better work environment.