New reflective roofing material said to outperform white roofs by 50 degrees

The University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, has created a new roofing material made up of layers of specialized plastics over a layer of silver. It reflects sunshine, and the university says, stays 50 degrees cooler than current white roofs.

"Cool roofing reduces the severity of the urban heat island problem in towns and cities and helps eliminate peak power demand problems from the operation of many air conditioners," a researcher says.

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