Today's New York Times features an good read on cool roofs, a topic we covered in mid-June with Buzzword: Cool Roofs. (Cool roofs are designed to reflect sunlight, resulting in a cooler building and energy and money savings.)

As The Times' "White Roofs Catch on as Energy Cost Cutters" points out, Energy Secretary Steven Chu is a big fan of cool roofs and their energy-saving potential. Chu even appeared on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart last week to discuss them as well as issues like the cap-and-trade aspect of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. (Watch the video of his appearance, right.)

Calculate how much money you might save with a cool roof by using the U.S. Department of Energy's cool-roof calculator.

Essential information: Check out our June 2009 report on roofing and July 2009 report on air conditioning (available to subscribers), stay cool without sky-high energy bills, and read about ceiling fans. And look for our special report on energy saving at home, with coverage of pellet-burning stoves, solar water heaters, and ratings of compact fluorescent lightbulbs, in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in late August.