White roofs outperform green roofs in reducing heat-island effect, says Lawrence Berkeley Lab

White roofs can be more effective at reducing the urban heat-island effect than darker roofs and roofs covered with plants, according to a report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. White roofs also cost less. The report, Economic Comparison of White, Green, and Black Flat Roofs In the United States, says that white roofs are three times more effective than green roofs at “cooling the globe.” Researchers analyzed 22 commercial flat roof projects in the U.S. and performed a 50-year life cycle cost analysis.

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