SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Atlanta is a scorching heat island, but can green roofs help? [curbed.com]

It's midsummer, which means that perennial, suffocating, climatological sauna has befallen Atlanta. Like most urban places, Atlanta's status as a heat island is hardly surprising, what with all the heat-capturing concrete and carbon emissions, which spell hotter summer temps intown (2.4 degrees in the daytime, about 4 degrees at night) than surrounding rural areas. What's more surprising: The ATL's heat-island problem is actually getting better.

That's the word from Bill Lomel, Sentry Roof Services president, whose company has worked with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and other major clients to implement green-roof practices that include reflective roof materials and energy-effecient insulation. The result, per Lomel, is that Atlanta's heat island footprint has been dramatically reduced in the past decade, as buildings implementing "cool roofs" throughout town are saving up to 20 percent in energy costs. Meanwhile, the tops of such buildings are more than a third cooler than standard roofs, which can reach July temperatures of a blazing 150 degrees.

Original Submission