Dive Brief:

• A new study says that reflective pavement does keep roads from getting as hot as they would otherwise, but the energy bounced off the road can cause problems.
• The Arizona State University report says that unlike heat energy reflected off roofs and back into space, energy coming off roads is likely to interact with buildings and people because it starts below, not above them, like a roof does.
• It may take more energy to cool a building if it is getting hit by energy reflected off the road, so the contribution to decreasing what is called the Urban Heat Island effect is lost.

Dive Insight:

The rush to reflective pavement has been a case of hopes getting ahead of data, according to Heather Dylla, a scientist with the National Asphalt Pavement Association. It seemed like a good idea after it became known that reflective roofs on buildings helped reduce their need to be cooled. With the new data, however, NAPA is urging communities to resist giving credit in their green building codes for reflective pavement.