White Roofs Help Keep Philadelphia Cool and Green

Philadelphia is out to become America's greenest city.  RetroFIT PHILLY is part of the plan to lead the nation's cities in "greenness".

" ... RetroFIT PHILLY "Coolest Block" contest ... with product and technology contributions from The Dow Chemical Company ... invites row home owners to enter to win energy-saving cool roof, air sealing and insulation upgrades for their entire block."

"... Greenworks Philadelphia  goal is to retrofit 15 percent of the city's row home roofs, and the 'Coolest Block' contest is jumpstarting this effort," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter...."

" ... White cool roofs, ... bounce off solar energy to prevent it from being absorbed into the roof and house in the summer. ... they reduce the amount of energy needed to cool the living space and bring the cost of cooling a home down by as much as 20 percent."


" ... cool roofs are a proven way to combat urban heat island effect. The roof's exterior is 50 – 80 degrees cooler on hot summer days, helping to lower high temperatures and improve air quality. ..."


Via: The Dow Chemical Company  LINK

Gaia Hotel in Napa Valley Embraces Energy Savings and LEED

The Gaia Hotel in Napa Valley California is saving energy - and money - by using clean energy including PV solar panels and solar light tubes along with a white roof.

Hotels ..." generating large amounts of water and electricity to serve their customers. ... Wen Chang, founder of the Gaia Hotel in the Bay Area's Napa Valley ... believes hotel owners can do more to help the environment, without hurting the bottom line. ... the Gaia Hotel is saving $50,000 to 75,000 dollars a year on electricity by using clean energy to power 12% of its operations."







Via: SmartPlanet LINK

Low Tech White Roofs Save Energy

Sometimes the simple low tech approach can work very well .... simply painting a flat roof white can save energy.  This low tech solution " ... can act much like earth's snow covered poles; reflecting the sun’s light and heat as opposed to absorbing it ... keeps buildings cooler, reducing the problem of urban heat islands and saving energy (and money). ... we could counteract global warming simply by increasing the Earth’s total reflective surface. ..."



Via: WorldChanging LINK