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TPO roofing in Falls Church, VA: reading a cool-roof listing against the City's own documents
A flat or low-slope roof in Falls Church that is re-covered with a TPO membrane raises a paperwork question: is there a reflectance number to meet, and where would it be written? This page reads the City's design, energy and permit documents for roof-color rules, explains how to read a Cool Roof Rating Council listing, and sets out what the June 2022 end of the ENERGY STAR roof program changed for a label on a roll or a quote.
- ENERGY STAR certification for roofing products ended June 1, 2022
- Ratings run from 0 to 1, as initial and three-year aged values
- Virginia's roof reflectance clause covers climate zones 0 through 3 only
The ENERGY STAR sunset in dates
Many roof quotes and older spec sheets still carry the phrase "ENERGY STAR roof." The federal program behind it has a documented end date, and EPA's own decision memo lists the steps.
- May 28, 2019EPA's decision memo finalizes the sunset of the ENERGY STAR specification for roof products and stops accepting new Partnership Agreements for them.
- June 1, 2021Certification bodies are told to stop certifying new roof product submittals, and new promotional material with the mark may no longer be produced.
- June 1, 2022Brand owners must stop using the ENERGY STAR name and mark on roof products. EPA's specification page now says the roof specification "was sunset" on that date.
The Cool Roof Rating Council published a guide to the change. It says roofing with the label on the package is "technically no longer certified" and that EPA bars the label on packaging and literature. So a label in a bid today is a reason to ask what number stands behind it, not proof of one.
Initial values, aged values and dirt
The old ENERGY STAR limits show why two numbers exist. As the Council prints them, the program asked low-slope products for an initial reflectance of 0.65 or more and 0.50 or more three years after installation. Steep-slope products had to reach 0.25 and 0.15. Those figures are history now, but they show the gap a rating body expects between a clean sample and a weathered one.
- A clean sample is rated. The initial value comes from a new product, tested in a lab.
- The product weathers outdoors. The Council measures aged values after three years of outdoor exposure.
- Dirt and growth change the surface. The Council says reflectance of most products drops over time, faster with pollution, moss or algae. The old program required product literature to say the same.
- Climate and insulation set the benefit. The Council lists the old-versus-new reflectance difference, the building's insulation and the climate among the factors, and says older buildings with little roof insulation tend to gain more than new, well-insulated ones.
None of this converts to a saving on your bill without a calculation for your building. The Council points to online calculators for low-slope roofs, a tool for an engineer or energy auditor, not for a quote sheet. For the material itself, see our TPO roofing page, the flat roof page and the commercial roofing page.
Reading one rating, term by term
The Council's directory is the public place where roofing products carry rated numbers. A listing is a short set of terms. Here is what each one means according to the Council's own pages.
- Solar reflectance
- The share of sunlight a surface reflects, on a scale from 0 to 1. A higher number sends more of the sun's energy away from the roof.
- Thermal emittance
- How efficiently the surface gives off the heat it did absorb, also from 0 to 1. A roof is "cool" in the Council's sense when both properties work together.
- Initial value
- The reading on a new, clean sample. It is the best case.
- Aged value
- The reading after three years of outdoor exposure. It is the number codes tend to name, because it allows for the dirt a real roof collects.
- Solar Reflectance Index
- A single combined figure worked out from reflectance and emittance. Some rules accept it in place of the two separate numbers.
"A cool roof does not need to be white."
Cool Roof Rating Council, What is a Cool Roof?The directory is not limited to one kind of roofing. The Council says any roofing product can be rated, and that more than 3,000 are listed, so the logic above applies to a TPO membrane the same way it applies to any other covering. The Council also says to check with the issuer of an incentive, or with your local building department, whether a rated product can be used for compliance.
What the City's documents say
Four City documents could carry a rule about the surface of a roof. None does. The table lists what each one is, what it says near the topic, and what stays unanswered.
| Document | What it says near the topic | Where it is silent |
|---|---|---|
| Design Guidelines (December 2001) | Commercial roofs: use "shed roof or flat roof design behind a parapet wall" for most buildings in the Downtown sub-area, avoid a monolithic expanse of roof, screen rooftop equipment. Historic buildings: match original materials when replacing a roof. | Nothing on membrane type, reflectance or cool roofs. Treats roofs as form and appearance. |
| Permit page: When a Building Permit is Required | A single-family re-roof needs no permit unless rafters or a major portion of the decking go. Multifamily and commercial rules differ. | No mention of membrane type, color or reflectance. The multifamily rules are not printed. |
| Community Energy Action Plan (2023) | Sets climate targets and focuses on transportation and buildings. The introduction notes developers have been encouraged to add features such as green roofs. | The phrase "green and cool roofs" appears only in a peer-city example (San Diego's checklist), not as a Falls Church requirement. |
| Streetscape Design Standards (adopted 2017, amended 2025) | Covers sidewalks, furniture, catch basins and other street-level items. Rooftops come up once, as a hard surface that sheds stormwater. | Nothing on roof coverings or roof color. |
Read October 20, 2026 from the City's website. The Code of the City itself, published on a separate host, could not be read for this page, so the zoning text is not covered here. Ask the City's zoning staff about it.
The design document has a review path. Its introduction sends new buildings, additions, facade alterations and landscape changes to the Architectural Advisory Board, which gives an advisory recommendation to the Planning Commission on areas that include "Texture, color and materials." The text does not say whether a re-roof on an existing building counts as a facade alteration, and it is a 2001 publication, so ask the planning office whether it still governs your building.
On the City's website, an Urban Design Guidelines Update page says Council passed an initiating resolution on June 8, 2026 to merge this document with the streetscape standards. Its list of new concepts includes green roofs and renewable energy. Cool roofs are not on that list, and the page describes a scope, not adopted text.
The finding is the silence. The City states a goal of cutting emissions by half from 2005 levels by 2030, and none of these documents turns that goal into a rule about the surface of a roof. That leaves two live questions for a TPO job: what the state energy code requires for the building, and what a building's own owners or association have written down. The Falls Church guide covers the permit side in detail.
Where the state energy code stops
Virginia does have a roof reflectance clause. The Cool Roof Rating Council lists it in its national roundup, and the code text confirms the limits.
What the clause requires
Low-sloped roofs directly above cooled, conditioned space, in the commercial chapter of the energy code, must show an aged solar reflectance of 0.55 with an aged thermal emittance of 0.75, or an aged index of 64. Exempt portions include roof under solar panels, vegetated roof, rooftop decks or walkways, skylights, rooftop equipment, shaded areas, and heavily ballasted areas.
Where it applies
Only in climate zones 0 through 3. The code's climate table puts Virginia in zone 4A except for a list of counties and cities in zones 3A and 5A. Falls Church is not on that list, so by the table it sits in 4A and falls outside the clause. That is a reading of the table, so confirm it with the City's building office.
The code was read on a public copy of the Virginia edition, and the Council's page says its roundup is not exhaustive. Neither tells you what a lender, insurer, association or landlord requires. If a contract names a reflectance value, the contract controls.
Questions for a TPO quote
Roofers of Arlington installs, repairs and replaces roofs, including flat and metal systems. Book a phone consultation to talk through a Falls Church TPO roof, and have the answers to these ready:
- Is the building a house, a townhouse, or a unit in a larger building, and who holds the roof under your deed, lease or association documents?
- Does any document, such as a lease, a loan, an incentive or an association rule, name a reflectance value or a rating program?
- If a quote names a membrane color, which rated product listing does it point to, and does that listing show initial and aged values?
- Does the quote use the old ENERGY STAR phrase, and what number stands behind it?
- Has the City's permits office, at 703-248-5080, confirmed whether the scope needs a permit?
- For a building with solar panels, rooftop units or a deck, which parts of the roof would those cover?
For the wider picture, see the Falls Church hub, the materials overview, roof replacement and our services list.
Documents behind this page
All opened October 20, 2026.
- Cool Roof Rating Council: What is a Cool Roof?
- Cool Roof Rating Council: ENERGY STAR Roof Program Alternative (January 2025)
- Cool Roof Rating Council: how a cool roof saves energy (April 2023)
- Cool Roof Rating Council: codes and standards by jurisdiction, Virginia entry
- EPA ENERGY STAR: Roof Products Specification Version 3.0 and the May 28, 2019 sunset decision memo
- Virginia Energy Code 2021, commercial chapter 4 and chapter 3 (a public copy of the Virginia edition)
- City of Falls Church: Design Guidelines (2001)
- City of Falls Church: Community Energy Action Plan
- City of Falls Church: Urban Design Guidelines Update
- City of Falls Church: Streetscape Design Standards for Commercial Streets
- City of Falls Church: When a Building Permit is Required
Questions people ask
Does Falls Church require a reflective or white roof on a flat roof?
None of the City documents read for this page sets a roof reflectance or color rule. The permit page, the 2001 Design Guidelines, the Community Energy Action Plan and the streetscape standards are silent on it. Virginia's energy code has a reflectance clause, but it covers low-slope roofs in climate zones 0 through 3, and the code table puts Falls Church, by omission from its exceptions, in zone 4A. Confirm that reading with the City.
What replaced the ENERGY STAR label for roofing products?
EPA ended the roof program on June 1, 2022. The Cool Roof Rating Council runs a separate rating program and a free public directory of rated roof products, and it says its rating program underpins many U.S. building codes.
What do solar reflectance and thermal emittance mean on a cool-roof listing?
Solar reflectance is how much sunlight a surface reflects. Thermal emittance is how well it gives off absorbed heat. The Cool Roof Rating Council measures both on a scale from 0 to 1, where 1 is the most reflective or emissive, for a product when new and again after three years outdoors.
Why do listings show two reflectance numbers?
One is the initial value on a new sample. The other is the aged value after three years of outdoor exposure. The Council says reflectance of most products falls over time, faster where there is pollution, moss or algae. A rule that names the aged value is stricter than one that names the initial value.
Can a roof be a cool roof and not be white?
Yes. The Council says a cool roof does not need to be white, because some darker "cool color" products reflect strongly in the near infrared part of sunlight. The listing number matters, not the shade you see.
Does the City review the look of a roof on an older building?
The 2001 Design Guidelines say that when a roof on a historic building is replaced, original materials should be matched as closely as possible. The same document sends new buildings, additions and facade alterations to an advisory board. It does not say whether a re-roof counts as a facade alteration, so ask the planning office.
Does a TPO re-roof on a house in the City need a permit?
For a single-family house, the City's permit page lists replacing a roof as work that needs no permit unless rafters or a major portion of the decking are replaced. The page does not define a major portion, and it says multifamily and commercial rules differ without printing them. Call the permits line at 703-248-5080 with your scope.
Who decides whether a building gets a membrane roof?
The City's pages do not say. For a house, the owner. For a condominium, a townhouse community or a rental building, the recorded documents or the landlord decide, so read those before asking for quotes.
Talk through your roof with Roofers of Arlington
Share the address, what you are seeing on the roof and the decision you need to make. We will tell you what to expect before anything is scheduled.