This obscure but powerful “dark roof” lobby may be making your city hotter

Light-colored roofs reflect sunlight, so buildings stay cooler.

Dark ones absorb heat, driving up temperatures inside buildings and in the surrounding air.

At least eight states and more than a dozen cities in other states have adopted cool-roof requirements.

On hot days , cool roofs can stay more than 50 degrees cooler than dark ones.

The EPDM industry has paid for research that has asserted that the impact of cool-roof mandates is inconclusive.

In cold climates, industry representatives note, cool roofs can lead to higher winter heating bills.

Multiple studies show reflective roofs do save energy and cool cities by easing the “urban heat island effect”.