When a building has a reflective roof it earns one LEED credit for reducing the Heat Island Effect.* BUR and EPDM roofs covered with Conklin coatings can earn up to three LEED credits: one for minimizing the Heat Island Effect, one for Building Reuse and one for Construction Waste Management. (A roof that’s resurfaced rather torn off saves space in the landfill.)
Also check here www.energystar.gov/index.cfm for federal rebates for pitched roofs. Incentive are available for light colored roofing, like metal and light colored shingles.
*Heat islands are defined as thermal gradient differences between developed and undeveloped areas. 2 The solar reflectance index (SRI) is a measure of the constructed surface’s ability to reflect solar heat, as shown by a small temperature rise. It is defined so that a standard black surface (reflectance 0.05, emittance 0.90) is 0 and a standard white surface (reflectance 0.80, emittance 0.90) is 100. To calculate the SRI for a given material, obtain the reflectance value and emittance value for the material. SRI is calculated according to ASTM E 1980. Reflectance is measured according to ASTM E 903, ASTM E 1918 or ASTM C 1549. Emittance is measured according to ASTM E 408 or ASTM C 1371.