While monitoring the comparative performance of two test houses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was noticed that the attic air temperature of one house with a plastic shake roof was consistently 20°F ( 11°C) cooler than its twin with asphalt shingles during peak summer cooling periods. More detailed monitoring of the temperatures on the plastic shake, the roof deck, and the attic showed this effect to be largely due to the plastic shake and not to better roof venting or other heat loss mechanisms.
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