Green roof helps family save on energy

In New York City, Baltimore and in Annapolis, people who desire a summer tan without the muss of sand and water love to bask on their own "Tar Beach," a flat asphalt townhouse roof that recreates the dry heat of the Sahara desert.

It's no wonder why it's so easy to bake to a golden brown on tar beaches.

According to Sean McGuire, the National Resources Planner for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, "A typical tar roof on a Baltimore row house heats up to 170 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit on a hot summer day. You feel it in after-transfers through the house."

You also feel it when you get the bill for air...