White house, white roofs: Obama's low-cost plan to cut electric bills

In a recent symposium, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu proposed painting roofs white and using lighter-colored road surfaces as a means to reduce global warming and air conditioning expenditures. Chu argues that this move could have the same effect as taking all cars off the road for 11 years.

White roofs are especially useful in cities, where large stretches of black asphalt roads and black tar roofs massively drive up temperatures. This phenomenon, called the "urban heat island effect," results in urban temperatures that are far higher than those of surrounding rural areas. As asphalt and tar absorb heat, they drive up temperatures, pushing residents to use air conditioners. This, in turn, drives up electricity expenditure and can release further heat into the atmosphere.