White-roof retrofits lower indoor heat and cut AC use for Philadelphia seniors
Philadelphia’s Cool Homes Programme applied reflective white roof coatings to about 340 low-income senior households, dropping ceiling temperatures by roughly 5°F and saving around 560 kWh of air-conditioning electricity per year per home.
The Cool Homes Programme, run by Philadelphia’s Energy Coordinating Agency, targeted elderly residents living in dark-roofed, older rowhouses that trap summer heat. Around 340 low-income seniors’ homes received reflective white roof coatings, roof repairs, added insulation and, where appropriate, whole-house fans and heat-management advice. EPA monitoring recorded a drop of roughly 4.7°F in daily maximum ceiling temperatures and about a 2°F reduction in room-air peaks.
Subsequent reporting suggested each home now avoids roughly 560 kWh of air-conditioning electricity each year, complementing earlier findings of lower natural-gas consumption from the broader weatherisation effort. The initiative linked improved indoor comfort with energy efficiency, a model that later informed Philadelphia’s 2010 cool-roof building codes and a 2024 federal-funded Cool Roofs Programme.
Why it matters
Reflective roofs help vulnerable seniors stay cooler in heat waves while lowering household energy bills.
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