ARLINGTON, VA, Sept. 24 (VNS) – Schools across the country are keeping cooler and saving tens of thousands of dollars a year in electricity costs by installing reflective vinyl membrane roofs, according to the Vinyl Institute.

It noted that during a heat wave that shut some schools in central Ohio this summer, students at the Miami View elementary and middle school in South Charleston were kept comfortable by their new vinyl membrane roof, which reduced temperatures in non-air-conditioned areas by as much as 18 degrees, according to the school district’s maintenance director, Chuck McNier.

When facilities are air-conditioned, schools can also see their electricity bills drop significantly after installing vinyl membrane roofs, which reflect more than 80 percent of the sun’s rays, the Institute said. As one example, it noted that a junior high school in Orangefield, Texas, saw its electricity bills drop by 20 percent after installing a vinyl roof by Duro-Last of Saginaw, Michigan. “We’re sold on the benefits,” commented the school district’s services director, Charles Donnaud.

“The fact is, these energy-saving vinyl roofs are proving a boon to school districts facing ever-increasing costs in virtually all other sectors,” said Vinyl Institute spokesman Allen Blakey. “It is another important example of the environmental and cost benefits of vinyl.”