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High-tech roofing can improve a Department of Defense building’s energy and water profile when it is designed as an integrated envelope rather than purchased as a single “cool roof” or solar add-on. A 2015 demonstration at the Security Forces Building at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, combined a new metal roof installed over the existing roof with insulation, engineered air pathways, solar thermal water heating, rainwater reuse and roof-laminated thin-film photovoltaic cells.
The project shows how a retrofit roof can become a platform for several building systems. It does not, however, prove a particular product’s savings: the contemporary account reports no measured post-installation energy or water results, total project cost, payback period or electricity-generation data for the building.
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The Goodfellow project was presented as a building-envelope demonstration for defense facilities, not as a head-to-head product test. The site was the Security Forces Building at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. The Metal Construction Association and Oak Ridge National Laboratory worked with the Department of Defense through its Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.
“Defensive” in this context refers to a DoD facility and mission, not to ballistic protection. The practical question was whether a roof retrofit could coordinate several technologies so that the roof, attic or roof cavity, water systems and electrical systems worked together.
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The 2015 account describes a metal roof placed over the existing roof. That arrangement creates space for insulation and other components while avoiding immediate removal of the old roof. The article presents this approach as a way to reduce installation costs and keep discarded roofing material out of landfills. Those are stated project aims and potential benefits, not independently verified Goodfellow results.
The demonstration was intended for flat or sloped roofs. That broad compatibility matters to the military because a portfolio contains many building types, ages and roof assemblies. The article described the DoD portfolio at the time as encompassing 577,500 buildings and structures; it did not cite an inventory behind that figure or establish that it remains a current count.
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How the integrated roof was assembled
A conventional roof mainly separates conditioned space from weather. The Goodfellow concept adds several active and passive layers:
- Weather and solar-control layer: a metal roof with a high-solar-reflectance coating.
- Thermal-control layer: insulation in the cavity created above the existing roof.
- Air-management layer: engineered air pathways intended to control how air moves through the roof assembly.
- Heat and water systems: hydronic solar thermal equipment, a heat exchanger and rainwater collection.
- Electric-generation layer: thin-film photovoltaic panels laminated to the roof surface.
The value of the concept lies in coordination. Reflective metal reduces solar heat absorbed at the roof surface; insulation limits heat flow into the building; controlled air pathways help the assembly perform as designed; solar thermal equipment uses sunlight for hot-water duty; collected rainwater offsets selected potable-water uses; and photovoltaic cells produce electricity. Each element addresses a different load, so the result is broader than a roof-color decision.
The four technology areas and their roles
| Technology area | Intended function | What the June 30, 2015 account establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Cool metal roofing with high-solar-reflectance coatings | Reflect more incoming sunlight and reduce roof heat gain. | The article cites a general claim of up to 25 percent in summer-cooling energy costs for cool metal roofing; it does not identify that figure as a measured Goodfellow result. |
| Solar thermal water heating | Preheat water; through a heat exchanger, the heated water could also support space heating. | The system was included in the demonstration. The account gives no site-specific heat output, fuel savings or operating-cost result. |
| Rainwater collection and reuse | Supply non-potable demands such as landscaping and toilet flushing. | The article identifies these intended uses but publishes no captured volume, potable-water reduction or maintenance data. |
| Roof-laminated thin-film photovoltaic panels | Generate electricity at the roof surface, with possible sales to the grid. | The account names the technology and the possibility of grid sales. It gives no generation total, utility arrangement or revenue figure for Goodfellow. |
Cool metal roofing
High-solar-reflectance coatings are meant to send a larger share of sunlight back away from the roof instead of converting it to heat. In a cooling-dominated climate, a cooler roof can reduce heat transferred toward conditioned space and may reduce air-conditioning demand. The named statistic in the account is “up to 25 percent in summer-cooling energy costs.” It is a broad claim attributed to cool metal roofing, not a test result from the Security Forces Building. Actual performance would depend on roof orientation, insulation, ceiling construction, HVAC efficiency, schedules, weather and electricity rates.
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Solar thermal water heating
Solar thermal collectors use sunlight to heat a fluid or water loop. At Goodfellow, the described purpose was to preheat domestic water. A heat exchanger could also transfer useful heat to a space-heating loop, allowing one solar resource to serve more than one load. That coupling is different from photovoltaic generation: solar thermal equipment makes heat directly, while PV makes electricity that can run equipment.
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Designers must match collector area, storage, controls and hot-water demand. A facility with steady year-round domestic-water use can use more of the available heat than one with highly variable occupancy. The account does not report collector size, storage capacity, delivered temperatures or backup-heater operation, so those engineering details cannot be inferred for Goodfellow.
Rainwater collection and reuse
The roof can act as a collection surface. Gutters or internal drains route runoff to storage, where treatment and controls determine whether it is suitable for a designated non-potable use. The project description names landscaping and toilet flushing. Using captured water for those demands can reduce potable-water purchases and the energy required to pump and treat municipal water.
Rainwater systems require a local water-balance calculation. Storage that is too small overflows during storms; storage that is too large raises cost and occupies valuable space. Designers also need first-flush diversion, filtration, disinfection where required, backflow protection and a clearly separated non-potable distribution network. None of those component specifications or performance measurements is published for the Goodfellow demonstration.
Roof-laminated thin-film photovoltaics
Thin-film PV can be laminated to a metal roof rather than mounted on a separate rack. The article describes the panels as roof-integrated and says they could generate electricity for the facility, with possible sales to the grid. “Possible” is important: interconnection rules, utility tariffs, export limits and on-site load determine whether surplus power can actually be sold.
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Thin-film modules may suit a large roof where low profile and broad coverage are valuable. The roof still needs an electrical design, disconnects, grounding, monitoring, fire-code review and a maintenance plan. The source does not identify a panel model or publish module area, rated capacity, annual production or interconnection terms; retail panels should therefore not be treated as interchangeable with the integrated DoD system.
Why putting a new roof over the old one matters in a retrofit
Removing an existing roof is disruptive. It can expose the building to weather, require disposal of old membrane or panels and lengthen the period during which the facility is affected. The Goodfellow approach placed metal roofing above the existing roof, creating a cavity for insulation and other equipment. In principle, that can shorten demolition work and reduce landfill volume.
A cover-over retrofit is not automatically suitable. A facility team must first establish whether the existing roof and structure can carry the added dead load, whether hidden moisture or corrosion is present, and whether the new assembly can maintain drainage and fire separations. Penetrations for solar equipment, ducts, pipes and wiring must be detailed so that the new roof remains watertight. Existing roof warranties, hazardous materials and future access also affect the decision.
A practical evaluation sequence for a DoD facility
The following sequence is a planning framework for facilities considering an integrated roof. It describes decisions that must be made; it is not a reconstruction of undocumented Goodfellow construction steps.
- Document the baseline. Record roof area, slope, orientation, existing layers, insulation levels, HVAC energy, domestic-hot-water fuel, potable-water use, irrigation demand and utility rates for at least one representative operating period.
- Inspect the existing assembly. Verify structural capacity, moisture condition, corrosion, drainage paths, fire ratings, roof access and any hazardous materials. A cover-over design should not conceal a failing substrate.
- Define the loads to be served. Separate cooling, heating, hot-water, lighting and plug loads. Quantify toilet-flushing and irrigation demand before sizing rainwater storage or solar thermal equipment.
- Model the envelope. Compare roof reflectance, insulation thickness and air-path strategies under local weather and operating schedules. Include summer and winter effects rather than evaluating cooling alone.
- Coordinate the systems. Reserve routes and service clearances for hydronic piping, heat exchangers, rainwater tanks, PV wiring, controls and maintenance access. Keep potable and non-potable piping visibly and physically separated.
- Check approvals and interconnection. Confirm DoD design criteria, local building and fire codes, stormwater rules, utility requirements and any restrictions on exporting electricity.
- Install with quality controls. Inspect fasteners, seams, flashings, insulation continuity, air seals, pipe penetrations, electrical terminations and water-system backflow protection before concealment.
- Commission and measure. Establish meters and trend logs for roof-zone temperature, HVAC energy, hot-water heat, rainwater volume, potable-water use and PV output. Compare results with the documented baseline and weather-normalize the data.
What the reported benefits do—and do not—show
The article associates the integrated approach with lower energy and water demand, reduced environmental impact and lower construction and operating costs. It also links the cover-over strategy to potential installation savings and less roofing waste. These statements describe intended or claimed advantages of the approach.
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No quantified post-installation results are provided for Goodfellow. The account does not report measured energy savings, water savings, total project cost, payback period, photovoltaic generation or grid revenue. A facility should not use the 25-percent figure as a forecast for this building, nor present the 577,500-building portfolio figure as a current DoD inventory without a newer source.
For a defensible business case, the project owner needs metered evidence. Useful indicators include kilowatt-hours per square foot, peak cooling demand, fuel used for hot water and space heating, gallons of potable water displaced, rainwater overflow, PV kilowatt-hours, maintenance labor and outage time. Capital cost and replacement schedules should be tracked alongside operating savings so that simple payback is not confused with life-cycle value.
Operational and maintenance issues to plan for
- Roof integrity: Inspect seams, coatings, flashings and penetrations after severe weather and on a planned cycle.
- Thermal equipment: Check pumps, valves, heat exchangers, storage tanks, freeze protection and backup-heater controls.
- Rainwater quality: Clean collection surfaces, filters and tanks; verify treatment and backflow controls before using non-potable water.
- PV performance: Monitor string or module output, inspect electrical connections and keep roof access paths clear.
- Air and insulation continuity: Investigate unexpected HVAC use or condensation, which can indicate bypasses, wet insulation or altered airflow.
- Occupant and mission continuity: Schedule work around security requirements and maintain safe access to critical building functions.
These tasks are not optional extras added after construction. Because the concept combines envelope, plumbing, thermal and electrical systems, a failure in one layer can reduce the value of the others. A blocked rainwater filter, failed pump or unsealed penetration can erase expected benefits even when the metal roof itself remains serviceable.
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Scott Kriner, technical director of the Metal Construction Association, said: “We are thrilled to see this technology come together. Both the MCA and DoD see a great benefit to the broader U.S. economy when new and retrofit buildings throughout the country adopt this high-performance roofing design, and work toward net-zero energy buildings.”
The statement captures the demonstration’s strategic ambition: use a repeatable roof platform to reduce several resource demands at once. Whether that ambition is appropriate for another installation depends on climate, roof geometry, mission schedules, utility prices, water rules, structural capacity and the quality of measurement after commissioning.
Bottom line for facility owners
Goodfellow’s Security Forces Building is best understood as an integrated retrofit concept: a metal roof over the existing roof, a new cavity for insulation and air management, solar thermal water heating, rainwater reuse and roof-laminated thin-film PV. It demonstrates how a DoD roof can coordinate multiple building systems. The available June 30, 2015 account does not establish verified savings or financial payback, so any current project should treat those outcomes as questions to measure—not numbers to copy from the demonstration.
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