NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Vice President Al Gore launched a campaign to paint buildings’ roofs with a white coating to reduce cooling costs and energy usage. White roofs, unlike dark roofs that absorb heat, can reflect heat and reduce roof temperatures by 60 degrees and indoor temperatures by 10 to 20 degrees, according to the city.
“It’s such a simple concept—anyone who has ever gotten dressed in the summer knows it—light-colored surfaces absorb less heat than darker surfaces do,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
The program will begin with a pilot from Sept. 24 to Oct. 9, with teams of volunteers working to coat 100,000 square feet of rooftops in Long Island City, a Queens neighborhood that exhibits higher temperatures than the citywide average due to the amount of industrial rooftops in the area.
“I am proud to join Mayor Bloomberg and these dedicated volunteers to kick-off a great program that is going to make a real difference,” said Gore, who is founder of the Alliance for Climate Protection.
The decrease in temperature from white roofs reduces the need for air conditioning, lowering electric bills and reducing energy consumption. Coating all eligible dark rooftops in New York City could result in up to a one-degree reduction of New York City’s ambient air temperature—a “significant and lasting change towards cooling the city,” according to the city.
“While the city’s building code requires new buildings to have white roofs, 85 percent of the buildings that will exist in New York in 2030 are already built,” said Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability Rohit Aggarwala.
New Yorkers interested in giving back by working to reduce energy usage can become an NYC Cool Roofs volunteer by visiting www.nyc.gov or calling 311. Building owners and homeowners who wish to reduce their own energy costs and help the environment can also visit www.nyc.gov or call 311 to learn how to coat their own roof with reflective, white coating.
To ensure accountability and gauge program results, the NYC Cool Roofs pilot program will be monitored by Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research, which will report on the energy and cost savings generated by cool roofs on participating buildings.
New York City is heavily impacted by the “urban heat island” effect—the phenomenon of cities being warmer than surrounding suburban and rural areas due to the abundance of dry impermeable surfaces, such as roads and buildings. The urban heat island effect causes New York City to be five to seven degrees warmer than surrounding areas.
“It’s such a simple concept—anyone who has ever gotten dressed in the summer knows it—light-colored surfaces absorb less heat than darker surfaces do,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
The program will begin with a pilot from Sept. 24 to Oct. 9, with teams of volunteers working to coat 100,000 square feet of rooftops in Long Island City, a Queens neighborhood that exhibits higher temperatures than the citywide average due to the amount of industrial rooftops in the area.
“I am proud to join Mayor Bloomberg and these dedicated volunteers to kick-off a great program that is going to make a real difference,” said Gore, who is founder of the Alliance for Climate Protection.
The decrease in temperature from white roofs reduces the need for air conditioning, lowering electric bills and reducing energy consumption. Coating all eligible dark rooftops in New York City could result in up to a one-degree reduction of New York City’s ambient air temperature—a “significant and lasting change towards cooling the city,” according to the city.
“While the city’s building code requires new buildings to have white roofs, 85 percent of the buildings that will exist in New York in 2030 are already built,” said Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability Rohit Aggarwala.
New Yorkers interested in giving back by working to reduce energy usage can become an NYC Cool Roofs volunteer by visiting www.nyc.gov or calling 311. Building owners and homeowners who wish to reduce their own energy costs and help the environment can also visit www.nyc.gov or call 311 to learn how to coat their own roof with reflective, white coating.
To ensure accountability and gauge program results, the NYC Cool Roofs pilot program will be monitored by Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research, which will report on the energy and cost savings generated by cool roofs on participating buildings.
New York City is heavily impacted by the “urban heat island” effect—the phenomenon of cities being warmer than surrounding suburban and rural areas due to the abundance of dry impermeable surfaces, such as roads and buildings. The urban heat island effect causes New York City to be five to seven degrees warmer than surrounding areas.
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