Here’s some fun facts about white roofs — or cool roofs, as Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu puts it in this video clip this morning.
- Dark roofs can heat up to 50 degrees hotter than light roofs.
- Dark roofs in the U.S. have delivered at least a billion dollars a year in extra power bills.
- Cities are often 2 to 5 degrees hotter than less urban areas due to dark surfaces.
- A cool roof can lead to 10 to 15 percent lower energy bills.
- If a little more than 3/4 of commercial buildings in the U.S. got a cool roof, the U.S. would save enough energy via air-conditioning to reduce carbon emissions by about 6 million metric tons each year.
Chu is calling for more buildings owners to opt for cooler roofs, as a way to reduce carbon emissions, but also to save money on air conditioning bills:
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