The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) has issued third-party product ratings for over 100 exterior paint and siding products on the CRRC Rated Wall Products Directory (Wall Directory). The Wall Directory offers independently verified ratings of the solar reflectance and thermal emittance (radiative properties) of participating products. These radiative property ratings inform design professionals and consumers about the ability of a product to reflect solar energy away from a building and cool itself by radiating absorbed heat, helping to improve resilience to heat, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and reduce cooling energy use. So-called “cool” exterior walls are promoted by various model energy and building codes and standards as well as voluntary green building programs such as LEED. 

CRRC Wall Product Ratings are obtained through participation in the CRRC Wall Product Rating Program (Wall Program). The CRRC began accepting Wall Product Rating applications in January 2022 following several years of program development and planning by experts representing numerous exterior wall product industries, national laboratories, government agencies, and more. The Wall Directory launched in September of that year, coinciding with the approval of the first Wall Product Ratings. A body of experts continues to oversee the program’s maintenance via the CRRC Wall Rating Program Committee, an advisory committee to the CRRC Board of Directors. 

As of July 30, 2024, there are 111 rated products on the Wall Directory spanning seven manufacturers and two product categories: architectural coatings (i.e., exterior paint) and metal siding. On achieving this growth less than two years after the launch of the Wall Directory, CRRC Executive Director Jeffrey Steuben comments: “The CRRC is proud of the growth and success of the Wall Program over the past two years and pleased with meeting this milestone.” 

Individuals interested in learning more about cool exterior walls can visit coolroofs.org, and companies seeking Wall Product Ratings can learn more here or contact walls@coolroofs.org. The CRRC also offers educational resources for policymakers and code, program, and standard developers working in energy efficiency and urban heat island mitigation. 

The CRRC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 1998 to develop accurate and credible methods for evaluating and labeling the radiative properties of roofing products and to disseminate the information to all interested parties. The CRRC expanded to include the rating of exterior wall products in 2019. Please contact the CRRC at info@coolroofs.org or (866) 465-2523 for more information on its programs.