Instead of painting the town red, researchers and the U.S Secretary of Energy would prefer that we pain it White. At least our roofs for that matter.
Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado say that their research shows that painting our roofs white will reduce the "urban heat island effect".
What the heck is the urban heat island effect you say? It refers to the asphalt roads, tar roofs and other artificial surfaces that permeate cities absorb heat from the sun, making temperatures in urban areas on average 2 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 3 degrees Celsius) higher than in rural areas.
So they say that painting our roofs white would actually reflect heat back towards space which would cool our temperatures and reduce our carbon imprint with lower electricity needed to cool our homes.
I think that most people realize that we need to start making changes to reduce our carbon imprint and I know that everyone would prefer to spend less on our energy bills. However, the biggest hurdle that I think we would face in implementing this strategy would be the aesthetic changes and the unwillingness for people to accept them. In addition, the research conducted is just in "theory", we would need the population to actually implement it to test its validity and I am not sure we are ready for that yet.
What is your thought on painting your roof white?
Brian Heltzel
Putting On The Fix Remodeling
Burleson, TX
www.puttingonthefix.com
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