In the ongoing effort to make New York a greener city by 2030, the city launched its Cool Roofs Program at LaGuardia Community College yesterday, encouraging building owners to coat their roofs with a reflective white paint. The color will reflect heat instead of absorbing it like dark roofs, which would mean lower energy bills as cooling is far more expensive and energy-consuming than heating. Con Edison Vice President Saddie L. Smith said in a press release, “This program is another example of our and the Mayor’s commitment to fighting global warming and making the world’s greatest city a more comfortable, pleasant place to live and work.” The city's goal is to coat 1 million square feet of rooftops by August.
The city will fund painting for all city-owned buildings, but is urging building owners to follow suit. The city already coated 10,000 square feet of roofs in Long Island City last summer, a neighborhood that had the highest roof temperatures citywide. According to the Department of Energy [PDF], white paint alone can lower the temperature of a surface 5-10 degrees. If the paint is reflective enough to reflect 70% 90% of the suns energy—as the city's paint is— the surface temperature can drop as much as 80 degrees. It's also inspired a new slogan from Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri: “Be cool and cool your roof." It works on so many levels.
