Picture this: it's peak summer, your fan is running at full speed, and your electricity bill still looks like a phone number. Now imagine living under a dark, sun-soaked roof that turns your attic into an oven every single day. That was the reality for many low-income families in San Antonio, Texas, not long ago. Then the city tried a simple approach: swapping conventional dark roofs for light-colored, reflective ones. According to a 2018 University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) study of homes in the city's roofing program, during peak summer afternoons, attic temperatures dropped by an average of 10.1°F, while homes overall saw their Electricity Use Intensity fall by an average of 7.3%.
A city that knows what real heat feels like
