Philadelphia put white roofs on 340 low-income seniors’ homes; temperatures fell 5°F, saving 560 kWh annually in AC electricity
- Image: APPhiladelphia tested a simple way to protect older, low-income residents from summer heat by putting reflective white roof coatings on hundreds of homes between 2001 and 2003.
- The Cool Homes Programme targeted elderly households living in the city’s older housing stock, where dark roofs could absorb intense sunlight and transfer heat into upper-floor rooms.
- Around 340 low-income seniors’ homes are cited in later accounts of the project, while programme records describe a broader group of hundreds of treated households.
Unverified
- Image: APPhiladelphia tested a simple way to protect older, low-income residents from summer heat by putting reflective white roof coatings on hundreds of homes between 2001 and 2003.
- The Cool Homes Programme targeted elderly households living in the city’s older housing stock, where dark roofs could absorb intense sunlight and transfer heat into upper-floor rooms.
- Around 340 low-income seniors’ homes are cited in later accounts of the project, while programme records describe a broader group of hundreds of treated households.
Sources: Times of India