Heat-reflective 'cool roof' paint cuts summer power bills for vulnerable Seoul households
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said a pilot program applying heat-reflective "cool roof" paint to 152 buildings housing older adults, low-income families and other vulnerable residents produced clear results this summer, cutting August electricity bills by up to 40 percent compared with a year earlier and lowering rooftop surface temperatures by more than 10 degrees Celsius. "I was worried about how we'd get through the summer heat, but after the cool roof coating, the house is a lot cooler, and my electricity bill dropped by 50,000 won ($36) compared with last summer. It even stopped the leaks," one resident said. Another said the coating made the house "livable," adding that a leaking rooftop was also fixed and expressing hope the program would expand to reach more elderly residents and others in need. The city launched the program in April by designating "cool roof priority districts" — aging, low-rise residential areas with poor insulation and limited access to home repairs, where vulnerable groups such as older adults, children, people with disabilities and low-income househol
Sep 16, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
