Amid climbing energy costs and tightening budgets, administrators at school districts, colleges and universities are looking for all avenues of potential savings while promoting sustainable communities. Cool metal roofing can save schools money and promote sustainable design at the same time. Cool metal roofing keeps the sun's heat from collecting on a roof, lowering cooling costs for the building: these savings can enable education facilities to reap benefits for years to come. The more that heat builds up on a roof, the greater the heat infiltration into the building. Keeping the building itself cooler lessens demand for air conditioning systems and lowers electricity bills. A cool roof results from two major roof characteristics: the thermal emissivity of the roof and its solar reflectivity. Typical cool metal roof materials have warranties that last as long as 35 years: most cool metal roofs are expected to last from 35 to 50 years. Additional benefits of metal roofs include their recycled content and ability to be used on most buildings. Many local and state governments encourage, and in some cases require, a designated amount of recycled content and energy efficiency in new public building construction. Cool metal roofs can help to meet those requirements.