Summers are getting HOTTER & HOTTER! 'Heat Domes' with triple digit temps are sticking around longer in the Austin area. This is causing ATX to have a 'Heat-Island' problem. Since temperatures get hotter in the city than in the country because of their built environment ... highways, buildings, parking lots ... All these types of structures absorb and retain more heat than materials in a natural environment.
As Austin continues to build up, this intensifies the 'Heat-Island Effect'! Not only does Austin's core get hotter, specific hot spots are created ... like a blacktop parking lot that can become incredibly hot and intolerable. Add the long heat wave of triple digit temps and dry conditions. This causes us to use more energy to cool buildings, which increases greenhouse gas emissions. It's a vicious cycle that needs help to be broken.
The City of Austin has strategies for Austinites to be able to make informed choices when it comes to designing, constructing and remodeling their homes and buildings. These six strategies to create 'Cool Spaces' will be helpful to reduce the effect of Austin's 'Heat-Island'. Let's Keep Austin Cool Y'all!
1 Cool Roofs Lighten up with a light colored roof. It will help reduce long-term costs and save energy.
2 Green Walls A vertical garden attached to a building. It provides shade and cooling to sides of a building getting direct sunlight.
3 Green Roofs Have a roof built with a planted area. Roofs absorb lots of heat from the sun. This requires more energy to be used to cool the building, which drives up electricity costs. A Green Roof will lower energy use and costs.
4 Cool Pavement Light-colored, paving materials for driveways, patios, and foot paths. They retain less solar heat and stay cooler. This would help air temperatures stay cooler in and around the Austin area.
5 Trees Cut energy use having shade trees. Planting trees to shade buildings and other areas helps keep it cooler and reduces energy costs.
6 Shading Cool off with a shade structure such as an umbrella, awnings and pergolas. Make outdoor areas more inviting to enjoy and save energy.
Do 1 Thing Together to Keep Austin Cool Y'all!