Buying a new hybrid car or new windows for your
home are a couple of ways that we are all familiar with of how to reduce power
and emissions but there is something that all of us could do at a much lower
cost. Steven Chu, the US Secretary of Energy and a Nobel prize-winning
scientist, said “yesterday that making roofs and pavements white or
light-coloured would help to reduce global warming by both conserving energy
and reflecting sunlight back into space. It would be the equivalent of taking
all the cars in the world off the road for 11 years.” I find this to be
astounding! How does more information like this not make the news?
Many of us can afford to paint our roofs but buying a whole new car is out of
the question for a lot of us. Unfortunately, painting your roof white
does not profit nearly as many corporations as buying new cars does and that is
why we do not hear about it.
Dr Chu said “the simple act of painting roofs
white could have a dramatic impact on the amount of energy used to keep
buildings comfortable, as well as directly offsetting global warming by
increasing the reflectivity of the Earth.” The less energy used means
more money saved which results in a healthier planet. The average
building would use fifteen percent less energy with a white roof. Think
about how much less energy you could be using!
For more information please click on the
following link:
White roofs actually have a lot of benefits to the environment. Not only do they add elegance to your homes (since the color white symbolizes purity), these also directly offset global warming by boosting the reflectivity of the Earth.
ReplyDeleteAdam Waterford
A lot of people still doubt the findings claimed by Dr. Chu. But this will probably help people understand the effect of using light-colored paint on your roof: http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/Others/HeatIsland+WhiteRfs0911.pdf
ReplyDeleteWell, the only concern with white roofs is maintenance – it can get dirty easily. That's why any light-colored paint will do. Just do not forget to match it with your home's color. :)
Aside from the study of Dr. Chu, white roofs can also reduce carbon emission within the surrounding of the house. Imagine, if all homeowners in one community painted their roofs white, this could eliminate greenhouse gases in their community for an estimated of 20 years.
ReplyDeleteI support Dr. Chu’s findings! There’s a term for it: ‘Cool Roofs.’ Light-colored roofs have reflective surfaces that are artificially altered and can deliver solar reflectance. This design reduces building heat-gain and saves up to 15% in the utility bill. It can also extend the service life of roofs.
ReplyDeleteLue Madson