NYC Cool Roofs

 

NYC °CoolRoofs is an exciting collaboration between NYC Service and the NYC Department of Buildings to promote and facilitate the cooling of New York City’s rooftops. Applying a reflective surface to a roof helps reduce cooling costs, cut energy usage and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Join us as we coat New York City rooftops to make a greener, greater New York!

The NYC °CoolRoofs initiative encourages building owners to cool their rooftops by applying a reflective white coating that reduces energy use, cooling costs and carbon emissions. The program supports New York City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030, as outlined in PlaNYC – the City’s comprehensive sustainability plan.

NYC °CoolRoofs:

1. Coated the rooftops of city agency buildings
2. Worked with non-profit organizations to coat their rooftops
3. Provided resources to encourage homeowners to coat their own roofs

Traditional roofs are dark and retain the sun’s rays as heat. During the summer, heat absorption increases roof temperatures, air conditioning costs, energy demand and even local temperatures in a phenomenon called the Urban Heat Island Effect. Cool Roofs can reverse these impacts!

Cool Roofs Lower Cooling Costs
A conventional roof can reach very high temperatures on a sunny, windless day. A Cool Roof creates a cooler building envelope, reducing the cost to cool the building in the summer.

Cool Roofs Last Longer
Fluctuations in roof temperatures cause rooftops to expand and contract, resulting in wear and tear. A Cool Roof expands and contracts less which increases the longevity of the roof.

Cool Roofs Offset the Urban Heat Island Effect
The Urban Heat Island Effect is a phenomenon in which the high concentration of dark material, such as asphalt and conventional rooftops, increases the temperature of densely built cities by up to five degrees. Cool Roofs mitigate this effect by reducing the number of dark energy absorbing surfaces.

Additional benefits:

• Cool Roofs prolong the life expectancy of the building cooling equipment, which doesn’t need to work as hard or as long to cool the building.
• Cool Roofs reduce the electrical power of HVAC equipment which can run less frequently and with lower capacity.
• Cool Roofs lower air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by reducing power demand.

NYC Cool Roofs 2010 Annual Review
Learn how to coat your own roof
Report your Cool Roof
Learn more about NYC °CoolRoofs (in PDF)
Real Estate Information (in PDF)

To learn more please visit NYC Cool Roofs Website.