{"id":853033,"date":"2025-06-03T09:11:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/03\/the-little-known-dark-roof-lobby-may-be-making-cities-hotter\/"},"modified":"2025-06-03T09:11:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:11:54","slug":"the-little-known-dark-roof-lobby-may-be-making-cities-hotter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/03\/the-little-known-dark-roof-lobby-may-be-making-cities-hotter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Little-known “Dark Roof” Lobby May Be Making Cities Hotter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It began with a lobbyist\u2019s pitch.<\/p>\n

Tennessee Rep. Rusty Grills says a lobbyist proposed a simple idea: repeal the state\u2019s requirement for reflective roofs on many commercial buildings. In late March, Grills and his fellow lawmakers voted to eliminate the rule, scrapping a measure meant to save energy, lower temperatures and protect Tennesseans from extreme heat. Grills, a Republican, said he introduced the bill to give consumers more choice.<\/p>\n

It was another win for a well-organized lobbying campaign led by manufacturers of dark roofing materials.<\/p>\n

Industry representatives called the rollback in Tennessee a needed correction as more of the state moved into a hotter climate zone, expanding the reach of the state\u2019s cool-roof rule. Critics called it dangerous and \u201cdeceptive.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe new law will lead to higher energy costs and greater heat-related illnesses and deaths,\u201d state Rep. Harold Love and the Rev. Jon Robinson wrote in a statement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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It will, they warned, make Nashville, Memphis, and other cities hotter \u2014 particularly in underserved Black and Latino communities, where many struggle to pay their utility bills. Similar lobbying has played out in Denver, Baltimore and at the national level.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"rustygrills\"Tennessee state Rep. Rusty Grills, center, is seen on opening day of the 2025 legislative session. After hearing from a lobbyist for an organization that represents manufacturers of dark-roofing materials, Grills sponsored a bill that loosened requirements in Tennessee to install light-colored roofs on commercial buildings. Photo by Erik Schelzig \/ State Affairs<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Industry groups have questioned the decades-old science behind cool roofs, downplayed the benefits and warned of reduced choice and unintended consequences. \u201cA one-size-fits-all approach doesn\u2019t consider climate variation across different regions,\u201d wrote Ellen Thorp, the executive director of the EPDM Roofing Association, which represents an industry built primarily on dark materials.<\/p>\n

But the weight of the scientific evidence is clear: On hot days, light-colored roofs can stay more than 50\u00b0 cooler than dark ones, helping cut energy use, curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce heat-related illnesses and deaths. One recent study<\/a>\u00a0found that reflective roofs could have saved the lives of more than 240 people who died in London\u2019s 2018 heatwave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least eight states\u2014and more than a dozen cities in other states\u2014have adopted cool-roof requirements, according to the Smart Surfaces Coalition<\/a>, a national group of public health and environmental groups that promote reflective roofs, trees and other solutions to make cities healthier.<\/p>\n

Industry representatives lobbied successfully in recent months against expanding cool roof recommendations in national energy efficiency codes\u2014the standards that many cities and states use to set building regulations.<\/p>\n

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The stakes are high. As global temperatures rise and heat waves\u00a0grow more deadly<\/a>, the roofs over our heads have become battlefields in a consequential climate war. It\u2019s happening as the Trump administration and Congress\u00a0move to derail<\/a>\u00a0measures designed to make appliances and buildings more energy efficient.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Why Roof Color Matters\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The principle is simple: Light-colored roofs reflect sunlight, so buildings stay cooler. Dark ones absorb heat, driving up temperatures inside buildings and in the surrounding air.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Roofs comprise up to one-fourth of the surface area of major U.S. cities, researchers say, so the color of roofs can make a big difference in urban areas.<\/p>\n

Just how hot can dark roofs get?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can physically burn your hands on these roofs,\u201d said Bill Updike, who used to install solar panels and now works for the Smart Surfaces Coalition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Study after study has confirmed the benefits of light-colored roofs. They save energy, lower air conditioning bills and reduce city temperatures. They help prevent heat-related illnesses. And they typically cost no more than dark roofs.<\/p>\n

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A\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0by the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that a cool roof on a home in central California saved 20% in annual energy costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"berkeleyHowdy Goudey, Scientific Engineering Associate, Building Technology and Urban Systems (BTUS), checks the levels on an array testing apparatus measuring a type of Passive Radiative Cooling Film, on the roof of Building 59, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Photo by Thor Swift\/Berkeley Lab\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a three-story rowhouse in Baltimore, Owen Henry discovered what a difference a cool roof can make.<\/p>\n

Living in a part of the city with few trees\u2014and where summer temperatures often climb into the 90s\u2014Henry wanted to trim his power bills and stay cooler while working in his third-floor office. So in 2023, he used $100 worth of white reflective roof paint to coat his roof.<\/p>\n

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Henry said he and his wife immediately saw the indoor temperature drop. They reduced their electricity use\u2014by 24%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cool Roofs, Hot Debate\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Known for its durability, a black synthetic rubber known as EPDM once dominated commercial roofing. But in recent years it has been surpassed by TPO, a plastic single-ply material which is typically white and is better suited to meet the growing demand for reflective roofs.<\/p>\n

Leading EPDM manufacturers\u2014including Johns Manville, Carlisle SynTec and Elevate, a division of the Swiss multinational company Holcim\u2014have fought against regulations that threaten to further diminish their market share.<\/p>\n

Kurt Shickman, former executive director of the Global Cool Cities Alliance, said those companies have the money to hire top-notch lobbyists who know their way around hearing rooms \u2014 and who are on a first-name basis with decision makers.<\/p>\n

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The EPDM industry has paid for research that has asserted that the impact of cool-roof mandates is inconclusive, and that insulation plays a bigger role in saving energy than cool roofs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"rogerscentreroof\"Workers in 2018 installed a new roof on the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. White roofs like these have been shown to reduce air conditioning bills and lower the temperature of outside air. Photo courtesy of the Vinyl Roofing Division of the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In an emailed response<\/a> to Floodlight\u2019s questions, Thorp argued that many of the studies cited to support cool roof mandates leave out important factors, such as local climate variations, roof type, tree canopy and insulation thickness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And she pointed to a\u00a0recent study<\/a>\u00a0by Harvard researchers who concluded that white roofs and pavements may reduce precipitation, causing temperatures to unexpectedly increase in surrounding regions.<\/p>\n

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But Haider Taha, a leading expert on urban heat, identified multiple flaws in the Harvard study, stating, \u201cThe study\u2019s conclusions fail to provide actionable insights for urban cooling strategies or policymaking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Fight Over Cool Roofs in Baltimore<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Baltimore debated a cool roof ordinance in 2022, Thorp\u2019s group and the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) lobbied hard against it, arguing that dark roofs are the most efficient choice in \u201cnorthern climates like Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In cold climates, industry representatives note, cool roofs can lead to higher winter heating bills.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent research does not support the adoption of cool roofs as a measure that will achieve improved energy efficiency or reduced urban heat island,\u201d Thorp wrote in a\u00a0letter<\/a>\u00a0to one council member.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Multiple studies show otherwise. They\u2019ve concluded that reflective roofs do save energy and cool cities by easing the \u201curban heat island effect\u201d\u2014the extra heat that gets trapped in many city neighborhoods because buildings and pavement soak up the sun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Researchers have also found that even in most cold North American climates, the energy savings from cool roofs during warmer months outweighs any added heating costs in the winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the opposition, Baltimore passed a\u00a0cool-roof ordinance<\/a>\u00a0in 2023.<\/p>\n

Opponents of cool roof requirements like Baltimore\u2019s say they oversimplify a complex issue. In an email to Floodlight, ARMA Executive Vice President Reed Hitchcock said such rules aren\u2019t a \u201cmagic bullet.\u201d He encouraged regulators to consider a \u201cwhole building approach”\u2014one that weighs insulation, shading and climate in addition to roof color to preserve design flexibility and consumer choice.<\/p>\n

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Henry, the Baltimore homeowner, said he thinks the city\u2019s ordinance will help all residents. \u201cPhooey to any manufacturer that\u2019s going to try and stop us from maintaining our community and making it a pleasant place to live,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Industry Gets Its Way in Denver, Tennessee<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Elsewhere, the industry\u2019s lobbyists have notched victories. They\u2019ve lobbied successfully against a cool-roof ordinance in Denver and against stricter standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)\u2014a professional organization that creates model standards for city and state regulations.<\/p>\n

The current ASHRAE standard recommends reflective roofs on commercial buildings in U.S. climate zones 1, 2, and 3\u2014the country\u2019s hottest regions. Those include most of the South, Hawaii, almost all of Texas, areas along the Mexican border and most of California.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve been able to stop all of those \u2026 mandates from creeping into climate zone 4 and 5,\u201d Thorp said in a recent interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another group headed by Thorp\u2014the Coalition for Sustainable Roofing<\/a>\u2014worked with the lobbyist to propose the bill that eliminated Tennessee\u2019s cool-roof requirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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That rule once applied to commercial buildings in just 14 of the state\u2019s 95 counties, but an update to climate maps in 2021 expanded the requirements to 20 more counties, including its most populous urban area\u2014Nashville.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As Mercury Rises, Homeowner Chooses a Reflective Roof<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Brian Spear, a homeowner in Tempe, Arizona, has lived in the Phoenix area since the 1980s, back when there were fewer than 30 days a year when the temperature reached 110\u00b0. Last year, there were 70 of those days\u2014the highest on record\u2014followed only by 2023, when there were 55 days of 110\u00b0 plus.<\/p>\n

These days, summer mornings start out scorching, he says, \u201cand I feel like if you go outside between 10 and 4, it\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spear says he\u2019ll soon replace the aging roof on an Airbnb home that he owns. After weighing the usual concerns \u2014 cost and aesthetics \u2014 he has chosen a surface that he believes will help rather than harm: a gray metal roof with a reflective coating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone told me you couldn\u2019t put a dark roof on your house \u2026 I\u2019d understand,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m all about it being for the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Floodlight<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Ames Alexander is a reporter with the nonprofit newsroom Floodlight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Erasmo Mcnaught<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It began with a lobbyist\u2019s pitch. Tennessee Rep. Rusty Grills says a lobbyist proposed a simple idea: repeal the state\u2019s requirement for reflective roofs on many commercial buildings. In late March, Grills and his fellow lawmakers voted to eliminate the rule, scrapping a measure meant to save energy, lower temperatures and protect Tennesseans from extreme<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":853034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[274,34688],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-853033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-little-known","category-lobby"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}