Changes to California's Title 24 recently became effective that require, among other things, significant enhancements to the reflectivity of roof coverings on many building and retrofit projects. Many other state and municipal building authorities will be watching as they prepare to make changes to codes that could affect your life in the near future.
You have been reading here and elsewhere about Title 24. Changes to California's Title 24 recently became effective that require, among other things, significant enhancements to the reflectivity of roof coverings on many building and retrofit projects. I'm oversimplifying here, but the basic objective of the changes is to improve the overall energy efficiency of building systems and to improve air quality. Many other state and municipal building authorities will be watching as they prepare to make changes to codes that could affect your life in the near future. Title 24 has been something of a bellwether in the past, and recent changes may affect building codes all across the land.
The changes in California are having an immediate impact on contractors and building owners alike. For a contractor's perspective, we spoke with Christian Madsen of Madsen Roofing, Sacramento, Calif. He has already noticed a shift toward single-ply and reinforced coatings. At the same time, there seems to be a move away from built-up roofing systems. As for the building owners, Madsen says, "There is a lack of knowledge out there." Roofing contractors are spending a good deal of time educating building owners-and even building officials in some jurisdictions.