Mary Schettler of West El Paso is a white roof believer.

"My husband has always said never buy a house with a black roof, and he's the one who pays the bills," Schettler told KFOX.

Schettler and her husband have seen the difference of having a light colored roof.

"A white one would definitely save on electricity, and I think it's much better to buy a house with a light colored roof than a black," she said.

The U.S. energy secretary said the lighter colors on roofs would reflect sunlight instead of having homes and businesses absorb the light, making the buildings hotter.

Upper Valley resident Mary Harris has taken it a step further.

"I don't have a white rooftop, I have a silver, it's a reflective rooftop, just got it put on a year ago," said Harris.

Richard King with Oscar's Roofing said if you are ready for a new roof make the change, otherwise, "To just tear off a good roof isn't real cost effective with the cost of roofing right now and petroleum and the prices we have to pay for material."

And he added there are other ways to cut down on that electric bill.

"You can with just good ventilation in a roof lower that attic temperature 30 or 40 degrees," King told KFOX.

In California, it's already law that all flat roofs have to be light-colored.