India, Oct. 7 -- The City of Atlanta passed a new law requiring all new and replacement roofs to meet the stringent requirements of solar reflectance. Known as City of Atlanta Ordinance 25-O-1310, the measure has caused some rift among homeowners who think that it amounts to the government telling them how their houses should look, the Cool Down report stated.

Atlanta is trying to fight exacerbating urban heat island effects; some neighborhoods even experience heat of about 20 degF more than the places around them. The city council estimated cool roofs with high solar reflectivity would lower the mean temperature in the summer in Atlanta by 2.4 degF and by 6.3 degF in the hottest neighborhoods, per the Grist.

The report added that the S...