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Last summer, New York City endured three heat waves and many days with temperatures above 90 degrees. In some neighborhoods, such as the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, which is one of the city’s most heat-vulnerable areas, extreme temperatures are actually lingering and contributing to an increase in heat-related illness and death.

This overwhelming effect can be attributed to the lack of protective tree shade, traffic, and the built environment surrounded by glass, asphalt, metal and concrete. Installing cold roofs, which involves lighting the surface color of the roofs to reflect and not absorb heat, can soften excess heat from top to bottom and reduce the urban heat island effect – a common and negative consequence of climate change where air temperatures are significantly higher. a city by the surrounding areas even at night.

Hunts Point Goods Market, the nation’s largest wholesale market and the county’s longstanding mainstay, took a step towards climate action in October, covering nearly 30,000 square feet of its 800,000 square feet of dark roof with a material known as Elasto-. Kool 1000 is a white paint infused with silicone to reflect solar heat and UV rays and reduce interior and surface temperatures in summer.

The clad roof is expected to help reduce the energy used for air conditioning and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The remainder of the roof is expected to be covered in 2022 or later, subject to availability of funds.

The project was part of the city initiative NYC CoolRoofs and by employees of the HOPE Program, a nonprofit that provides job training and professional development resources to New Yorkers seeking opportunities in climate-focused industries. CoolRoofs has covered more than 10 million square feet of roofs since 2009, in partnership with city agencies and with grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.

“We are making an impact on the environment and on the individual lives of people,” said Zakiyah Sayyed, 36, a South Bronx resident and crew chief for the Hope Program. “We have projects all over the city, so I can see the impact we’ve had in NYC.”

“Roofs provide an important opportunity to mitigate and adapt to climate change and address a range of environmental and social issues,” said Emily Nobel Maxwell, Director of Nature Conservation Cities of New York.

Combining different types of roofing with reflective coatings and solar panels can increase energy benefits. A new 11,500-square-foot “green roof” at 399 Sands Street in Brooklyn Navy Yard features a mix of sedum and wildflowers, and its effect is enhanced by a white cold roof system from commercial manufacturer Siplast. It is on top of a Steiner NYC property and was founded by. Brooklyn GrangeAn organization that designs and maintains green roofs that include vegetation and roof farms. “Every roof has the potential to help solve the climate crisis,” said Gwen Schantz, co-founder and chief creative officer of Brooklyn Grange.

de Blasio Management launched Cool Neighborhoods NYCBy advancing a strategy that would focus on places with the highest scores on a heat vulnerability index, such as some neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Under the Climate Mobilization Act of 2019, New York City requires new roofs to have reflective surfaces and, if appropriate, solar panels or a green roof system. Supporting the city’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, the NYC CoolRoofs program offers affordable housing and low-cost installations to buildings that host nonprofits, free of charge, and other buildings willing to cover the cost of finishing materials.

The City of New York Housing Corporation, the city’s largest home-owning public housing agency, expects 2,300 of its 2,500 buildings to have cool roof features over the next few years. “To date, 623 cool roofs and full roof replacements have been made that are more effective at insulating the apartments below them,” said NYCHA deputy press secretary Rochel Leah Goldblatt.

Although cold roofs are often associated with large buildings such as Ford Field, the 340,000-square-foot domed football stadium in downtown Detroit, reflective materials such as paint, shingles, tiles, or custom metal sheets can be installed on private homes.

Costs will vary depending on the location, condition of the roof, and materials required, but compared to traditional roofing products, cold roofing sheets can run up to 20 cents more per square foot, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. On hot summer days, cool roofs can reduce air conditioning costs by 10 percent to 30 percent, according to NYC CoolRoofs.

Portland, Ore. The Cool Roof Rating Council, an independent nonprofit based in the U.S. that evaluates the reflective performance of roofing products, said there are discounts and incentives for cool roofs and other energy-saving projects that can be searched through their site. coolroofs.orgor on dsireusa.org, Database of Government Incentives for Renewable Energy and Efficiency.

The council’s executive director, Jeffrey Steuben, noted that cool roofs do not need to be covered in white; Alternative hues for the cladding include gray and terracotta, among others. The council said it will begin a similar review program for products for vertical surfaces in January 2022. “There is an increasing number of codes and programs that specify solar reflective walls,” Steuben said.

For now, there is plenty of real estate in New York that could be considered for a cool roof renovation before next summer, Ms Nobel Maxwell of the Nature Conservancy said. “There are more than a million buildings in New York with rooftops totaling nearly 40,000 acres, which is roughly the size of an additional borough.”

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