Cool Roofs
Opportunities and Resources for Municipalities in Greater Boston
Credit: AdobeStock_224202625
Cooling our buildings and neighborhoods one roof at a time.
In 2023, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) received a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant on behalf of the Metro Mayors Climate Taskforce to explore opportunities for cool roofs and develop resources to support municipalities and other property owners in installing cool roofs.
A cool roof is one that is designed to reflect more sunlight than traditional roofs and can provide a range of benefits to buildings and neighborhoods.
This project focused on cool roofs as a near-term, low-cost strategy for addressing rising temperatures in Metro Boston.
Questions? Please contact: Sasha Shyduroff ([email protected]).
As the Metro Boston region gets hotter due to climate change there is increasing interest in using rooftops and other surfaces to combat Urban Heat Island effects and reduce energy consumption during summer months.
About Cool Roofs
Cool roofs (also known as white roofs or reflective roofs) are simply roofs designed to reflect more sunlight than a conventional roof. By reflecting more sunlight, these roofs absorb less heat, keeping the building and surrounding area cooler.
There are other types of “climate-smart roofs” such as “eco-roofs” or “green roofs” which use plants and other materials to filter stormwater or provide cooling, as well as “blue roofs” which use roofs to address stormwater runoff.
Learn more on the U.S. Department of Energy's Cool Roofs webpage.
The Benefits
Cool roofs can provide economic, environmental, and health benefits for residents, property owners, and the broader community.
The Basics and Benefits of Cool Roofs Webinar
June 6, 2024
Co-hosted by MAPC and the Metro Mayors Coalition Climate Taskforce, watch this webinar to learn even more about Cool Roofs.
Keeping Metro Boston Cool Webinar
June 26, 2024
This webinar focused on how municipalities can use cool roofs to advance their climate goals.
Is a Cool Roof Right for My Building?
Your roof can likely be converted to a cool roof. Cool roof products and technologies are available for a wide range of roof types. Explore the Cool Roofs Suitability Tool* and take the Self-Assessment to determine if a cool roof is feasible and beneficial to your building.
Description: Image is a photo shot of the Cool Roofs Suitability Tool. In the top left is the option to choose which municipality you want to view. In the center of the screen is a map of that municipality. To the left of the map are features you can select to be shown on the map such as: roof type and land use and ownership. To the right of the map are related statistics for that municipality: the number of potential cool roofs for the municipality, square foot of potential cool roof area, and the number of potentially impacted units.
*Tool is only available for Metro Mayors communities:
Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Watertown, and Winthrop.
Cool Roofs in Your Municipality
Cool roofs are a low-hanging fruit strategy for combating extreme heat and enhancing energy efficiency, yet many building owners are unaware of the technology and its benefits.
Our educational toolkit includes factsheets, FAQs, social media assets, and more to help spread the word to different audiences.
Cool Roofs Educational Toolkit
Municipalities can encourage the adoption of cool roofs in new construction and retrofitting existing roofs through several different pathways.
One way to encourage cool roofs is through local zoning bylaws and land use policies.
To learn more, please check out the resources provided below (click on each).
Cool Roofs 101 Factsheet:
For Building Owners Factsheet:
Blog Posts: