How a White or Green Roof Can Keep Your Building Up to 84% Cooler This Summer

The benefits of white and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roof">green roof</a>s are nothing new to us, but a recent study by two top NYC universities has shed light on just how effective these non-traditional roofs can be at lowering building temperatures. Non-reflective dark roofs are known to exacerbate the urban heat island effect and do absolutely nothing to reduce storm water runoff, which is why New York City sewers overflow almost every time it rains. But a recent <a href="http://www.coned.com/newsroom/pdf/Columbia%20study%20on%20Con%20Edisons%20roofs.pdf">study released by Columbia University</a> and <a href="http://www.cuny.edu/index.html">City University of New York</a> has found that greening NYC rooftops or adding a few coats of white paint can <strong>reduce temperatures by as much as 84%</strong>! Just think how much that could help you out on your electricity bill this summer.

The benefits of white and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roof">green roof</a>s are nothing new to us, but a recent study by two top NYC universities has shed light on just how effective these non-traditional roofs can be at lowering building temperatures. Non-reflective dark roofs are known to exacerbate the urban heat island effect and do absolutely nothing to reduce storm water runoff, which is why New York City sewers overflow almost every time it rains. But a recent <a href="http://www.coned.com/newsroom/pdf/Columbia%20study%20on%20Con%20Edisons%20roofs.pdf">study released by Columbia University</a> and <a href="http://www.cuny.edu/index.html">City University of New York</a> has found that greening NYC rooftops or adding a few coats of white paint can <strong>reduce temperatures by as much as 84%</strong>! Just think how much that could help you out on your electricity bill this summer.