Researchers at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) have received a grant from Houston Endowment to create a “Cooler Houston Implementation Plan,” a strategy aimed at reducing urban heat island effect.
HARC project director David Hitchcock explained that urban areas like Houston are normally 5¿ to 9¿F hotter than surrounding areas. This heat island effect contributes not only to discomfort but also to higher energy bills. Hitchcock says that recent meteorological modeling is showing that urban temperatures can be reduced significantly.