Transcript:

Summers in Atlanta are hot – and getting hotter as the climate warms. To stay safe in the heat, residents often spend a lot of money on air conditioning.

Bakhtiari: “One of the things I saw was that we had seniors, especially, getting displaced because of energy burden because the utility rates are too high.”

To help reduce urban heat, Liliana Bakhtiari of the Atlanta City Council introduced an ordinance that requires so-called cool roofs throughout the city, and the council passed it last year.

Cool roofs are built with highly reflective materials, so they absorb less heat from the sun.

Bakhtiari: “They’re not overly expensive, they’re on the market, they’re available right now.”

The ordinance applies to new roofs and major renovations, so widespread adoption will take time.

But models show that within a few decades, cool roofs could reduce temperatures in some of the hottest Atlanta neighborhoods by up to 6 degrees.

And residents with cool roofs will experience benefits right away. Their homes won’t get as hot, and they will spend less on air conditioning …

Bakhtiari: “ … as a result of the new roofing. So not only is it … reducing extreme heat in some of our hottest areas and citywide, it’s going to also help people, especially seniors and renters and people in multifamily, keep their power bills more affordable.”

Reporting credit: Myriam Vidal Valero / ChavoBart Digital Media