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Roof Savings Calculator
Estimate energy and cost savings from cool roofs and attic insulation
Addresses
Extreme Heat
- Cost
- Free to use
- Proprietary-Free
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Language
- —
- Updated
- 2025
You provide
- Building location
- Roof area and type
- Roof reflectance
- Insulation level
- HVAC type and energy prices
You get
- Annual heating and cooling energy savings
- Cost savings
- Payback estimate
Overview
The Roof Savings Calculator (RSC) is a free web tool developed for the U.S. Department of Energy by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and White Box Technologies. It simulates a building’s roof and attic to estimate the heating and cooling energy savings of switching to a cool (high-reflectance) roof.
Key features
- Whole-building roof and attic simulation built on the DOE-2.1E engine with AtticSim
- Savings by location and climate
- Compares roof types, reflectance and insulation options
- Free to use in the browser
Who it’s for
Building owners, roofing professionals and sustainability officers evaluating cool-roof programmes. Savings apply only to buildings with heating and/or cooling.
Getting started
See the Oak Ridge National Laboratory page for the calculator. For wider background on cool surfaces, see the LBNL Heat Island Group.