The white roof – In the Mediterranean, houses have had white roofs for centuries. Painting a roof white reflects up to 85 per cent of the sunlight that hits it, keeping the building cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning. And because they don’t hold heat, they don’t warm the air above them either, which reduces the ‘urban heat island’ effect.

A study of cool roofs in Chicago found that the air above them was seven-to-eight degrees cooler. White roofs perform better than green roofs at reducing heat. However, they don’t bring the benefits to wildlife or rainwater that come from green roofs and their variations. In a recent article for The Conversation, Michael Hardman and Nick Davies, of the University of Salford, said that although green roofs are becoming far more common, there needs to be increased buy-in from both the public and private sector.

Investors and developers still need convincing. However, as pressure grows for more adaptive measures for climate change, it seems likely that green roofs will grow in popularity. The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.

Why do we paint roofs white?

It has long been known that installing white roofs helps reduce heat buildup in cities. But new research indicates that making surfaces more light-reflecting can have a significant impact on lowering extreme temperatures – not just in cities, but in rural areas as well.

1. Summers in the city can be extremely hot — several degrees hotter than in the surrounding countryside.
2. But recent research indicates that it may not have to be that way.
3. The systematic replacement of dark surfaces with white could lower heat wave maximum temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius or more.
4. And with climate change and continued urbanization set to intensify “urban heat islands,” the case for such aggressive local geoengineering to maintain our cool grows.

The meteorological phenomenon of the urban heat island has been well known since giant cities began to emerge in the 19 th century. The materials that comprise most city buildings and roads reflect much less solar radiation – and absorb more – than the vegetation they have replaced.

They radiate some of that energy in the form of heat into the surrounding air. The darker the surface, the more the heating. Fresh asphalt reflects only 4 percent of sunlight compared to as much as 25 percent for natural grassland and up to 90 percent for a white surface such as fresh snow. Most of the roughly 2 percent of the earth’s land surface covered in urban development suffers from some level of urban heating.

New York City averages 1-3 degrees C warmer than the surrounding countryside, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – and as much as 12 degrees warmer during some evenings. The effect is so pervasive that some climate skeptics have seriously claimed that global warming is merely an illusion created by thousands of once-rural meteorological stations becoming surrounded by urban development.

Climate change researchers adjust for such measurement bias, so that claim does not stand up. Nonetheless, the effect is real and pervasive. So, argues a recent study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, if dark heat-absorbing surfaces are warming our cities, why not negate the effect by installing white roofs and other light-colored surfaces to reflect back the sun’s rays? Lighter land surfaces “could help to lower extreme temperatures by up to 2 or 3 degrees Celsius,” says one researcher.

During summer heat waves, when the sun beats down from unclouded skies, the creation of lighter land surfaces “could help to lower extreme temperatures by up to 2 or 3 degrees Celsius” in much of Europe, North America, and Asia, says Sonia Seneviratne, who studies land-climate dynamics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, and is co-author of the new study.

It could save lives, she argues, and the hotter it becomes, the stronger the effect. Seneviratne is not alone in making the case for boosting reflectivity. There are many small-scale initiatives in cities to make roof surfaces more reflective. New York, for instance, introduced rules on white roofs into its building codes as long ago as 2012.

Volunteers have taken white paint to nearly 7 million square feet of tar roofs in the city, though that is still only about 1 percent of the potential roof area. Chicago is trying something similar, and last year Los Angeles began a program to paint asphalt road surfaces with light gray paint.

• Outside the United States, cool-roof initiatives in cities such as Melbourne, Australia are largely limited to encouraging owners to cool individual buildings for the benefit of their occupants, rather than trying to cool cities or neighborhoods.
• The evidence of such small-scale programs remains anecdotal.

But now studies around the world are accumulating evidence that the benefits of turning those 1 percents into 100 percents could be transformative and could save many lives every year. Keith Oleson of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado looked at what might happen if every roof in large cities around the world were painted white, raising their reflectivity — known to climate scientists as albedo — from a typical 32 percent today to 90 percent. White test plots on the roof of the Museum of Modern Art in Queens, New York, measured 40 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than those painted black throughout the summer of 2011. Gaffin et al. Other studies suggest even greater benefits in the U.S. In a 2014 paper, Matei Georgescu of Arizona State University found that “cool roofs” could cut temperatures by up to 1.5 degrees C in California and 1.8 degrees in cities such as Washington, D.C.

• But it may not just be urban areas that could benefit from a whitewashing.
• Seneviratne and her team proposed that farmers could cool rural areas, too, by altering farming methods.
• Different methods might work in different regions with different farming systems.
• And while the percentage changes in reflectivity that are possible might be less than in urban settings, if applied over large areas, she argues that they could have significant effects.

In Europe, grain fields are almost always plowed soon after harvesting, leaving a dark surface of soil to absorb the sun’s rays throughout the winter. But if the land remained unplowed, the lightly colored stubble left on the fields after harvesting would reflect about 30 percent of sunlight, compared to only 20 percent from a cleared field.

It sounds like a relatively trivial difference, but over large areas of cropland could reduce temperatures in some rural areas on sunny days by as much as 2 degrees C, Seneviratne’s colleague Edouard Davin has calculated, In North America, early plowing is much less common. But Peter Irvine, a climate and geoengineering researcher at Harvard University, has suggested that crops themselves could be chosen for their ability to reflect sunlight.

For instance, in Europe, a grain like barley, which reflects 23 percent of sunlight, could be replaced by sugar beet, an economically comparable crop, which reflects 26 percent. Sometimes, farmers could simply choose more reflective varieties of their preferred crops.

1. Again, the difference sounds marginal.
2. But since croplands cover more than 10 percent of the earth’s land surface, roughly five times more than urban areas, the potential may be considerable,
3. Reducing local temperatures would limit evaporation, and so potentially could reduce rainfall downwind.
4. On the face of it, such initiatives make good sense as countries struggle to cope with the impacts of climate change.

But there are concerns that if large parts of the world adopted such policies to relieve local heat waves, there could be noticeable and perhaps disagreeable impacts on temperature and rainfall in adjacent regions. Sometimes the engineers would only be returning reflectivity to the conditions before urbanization, but even so, it could end up looking like back-door geoengineering.

1. Proponents of local projects such as suppressing urban heat islands say they are only trying to reverse past impacts of inadvertent geoengineering through urbanization and the spread of croplands.
2. Moreover, they argue that local engineering will have only local effects.
3. If all French farmers were to stop plowing up their fields in summer, the impact on temperatures in Germany would be negligible,” Seneviratne says.

“Local radiative management differs from global geoengineering in that it does not aim at effecting global temperatures global effects would be negligible,” she says. It is “a measure of adaptation.” But things might not always be quite so simple. Reducing local temperatures would, for instance, limit evaporation, and so potentially could reduce rainfall downwind. Los Angeles has coated several streets in a light gray paint to reduce road-top temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services What is clear is that tackling urban heat islands by increasing reflectivity would not be enough to ward off climate change.

Oleson found that even if every city building roof and stretch of urban pavement in the world were painted white, it would only delay global warming by 11 years. But its potential value in ameliorating the most severe consequences of excess heat in cities could be life-saving. The urban heat island can be a killer.

Counter-intuitively, the biggest effects are often at night. Vulnerable people such as the old who are stressed by heat during the day badly need the chance to cool down at night. Without that chance, they can succumb to heat stroke and dehydration. New research published this week underlines that temperature peaks can cause a spike in heart attacks.

This appears to be what happened during the great European heat wave of 2003, during which some 70,000 people died, mostly in homes without air conditioning. Doctors said the killer was not so much the 40-degree C daytime temperatures (104 degrees F), but the fact that nights stayed at or above 30 degrees (86 degrees F).

Such urban nightmares are likely to happen ever more frequently in the future, both because of the expansion of urban areas and because of climate change. Predicted urban expansion in the U.S. this century “can be expected to raise near-surface temperatures 1-2 degrees C over large regional swathes of the country,” according to Georgescu’s 2014 paper.

Similar threats face other fast-urbanizing parts of the world, including China, India, and Africa, which is expected to increase its urban land area six-fold from 1970 to 2030, “potentially exposing highly vulnerable populations to land use-driven climate change.” Several studies suggest that climate change could itself crank up the urban heat island effect.

Richard Betts at Britain’s Met Office Hadley Centre forecasts that it will increase the difference between urban and rural temperatures by up to 30 percent in some places, notable in the Middle East and South Asia, where deaths during heat waves are already widespread.

A combination of rising temperatures and high humidity is already predicted to make parts of the Persian Gulf region the first in the world to become uninhabitable due to climate change. And a study published in February predicted temperatures as much as 10 degrees C hotter in most European cities by century’s end.

No wonder the calls to cool cities are growing. A city-wide array of solar panels could reduce summer maximum temperatures in some cities by up to 1 degree C. Another option is not to whitewash roofs, but to green them with foliage. This is already being adopted in many cities.

In 2016, San Francisco became the first American city to make green roofs compulsory on some new buildings. New York last year announced a $100-million program for cooling neighborhoods with trees. So which is better, a white roof or a “green” roof? Evidence here is fragmentary. But Georgescu found a bigger direct cooling effect from white roofs.

Vincenzo Costanzo, now of the University of Reading in England, has reached a similar conclusion for Italian cities. But green roofs may have other benefits. A study in Adelaide, Australia, found that besides delivering cooling in summer, they also act as an insulating layer to keep buildings warmer in winter.

There is a third option competing for roof space to take the heat out of cities — covering them in photovoltaic cells. PV cells are dark, and so do not reflect much solar radiation into space. But that is because their business is to capture that energy and convert it into low-carbon electricity. Solar panels “cool daytime temperatures in a way similar to increasing albedo via white roofs,” according to a study by scientists at the University of New South Wales.

The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports last year, found that in a city like Sydney, Australia, a city-wide array of solar panels could reduce summer maximum temperatures by up to 1 degree C. That is the theory, but there are concerns about whether it will always work in practice.

Studies into the impact on local temperatures of large solar farms in deserts have produced some contradictory findings, For while they prevent solar rays from reaching the desert surface, they also act as an insulating blanket at night, preventing the desert sands from losing heat. The net warming effect has been dubbed a “solar heat island.” The lesson then is that light, reflective surfaces can have a dramatic impact in cooling the surrounding air – in cities, but in the countryside too.

Whitewashed walls, arrays of photovoltaic cells, and stubble-filled fields can all provide local relief during the sweltering decades ahead. But policymakers beware. It doesn’t always work like that. There can be unintended consequences, both on temperature and other aspects of climate, like rainfall.

Why are building painted white?

– Getty Images Whitewash was cheap, dried quickly, and took almost no expertise to apply. It was easy to touch up and could quickly make a farmhouse look clean and bright, according to, who whitewashed fences as a kid. Remember when Mark Twain’s title character Tom Sawyer was assigned to whitewash his family’s fence? Although fictional, the scene isn’t unrealistic. Getty Images The simple and pretty look of the light hue may also explain why it became a popular choice. White houses were a sign of cleanliness and purity, according to, And so, whitewashing became known as a cheap and easy way to make a house look attractive. ALYSSA ROSENHECK David Tsay Max Kim-Bee ROGER DAVIES Today, hundreds of years after the initial surge in popularity of whitewashing, the look is still a favorite among farmhouse dwellers, even if modern homeowners prefer paints made specifically for exteriors in lieu of whitewash. But the look is still the same—clean, timeless, and elegant as ever. : Why Farmhouses Are White? The History of Whitewashing

Why is the roof of buildings painted white because it absorbs radiation because it is Compresss C because it is cheaper D because it conducts heat?

Solar energy is any type of energy generated by the sun, Solar energy is created by nuclear fusion that takes place in the sun, Fusion occurs when protons of hydrogen atoms violently collide in the sun ‘s core and fuse to create a helium atom. This process, known as a PP (proton-proton) chain reaction, emits an enormous amount of energy.

In its core, the sun fuses about 620 million metric tons of hydrogen every second. The PP chain reaction occurs in other stars that are about the size of our sun, and provides them with continuous energy and heat. The temperature for these stars is around 4 million degrees on the Kelvin scale (about 4 million degrees Celsius, 7 million degrees Fahrenheit).

In stars that are about 1.3 times bigger than the sun, the CNO cycle drives the creation of energy. The CNO cycle also converts hydrogen to helium, but relies on carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (C, N, and O) to do so. Currently, less than 2% of the sun ‘s energy is created by the CNO cycle.

• Nuclear fusion by the PP chain reaction or CNO cycle releases tremendous amounts of energy in the form of waves and particles.
• Solar energy is constantly flowing away from the sun and throughout the solar system,
• Solar energy warms the Earth, causes wind and weather, and sustains plant and animal life.

The energy, heat, and light from the sun flow away in the form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The electromagnetic spectrum exists as waves of different frequencies and wavelengths. The frequency of a wave represents how many times the wave repeats itself in a certain unit of time.

Waves with very short wavelengths repeat themselves several times in a given unit of time, so they are high- frequency, In contrast, low- frequency waves have much longer wavelengths. The vast majority of electromagnetic waves are invisible to us. The most high- frequency waves emitted by the sun are gamma rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet radiation (UV rays).

The most harmful UV rays are almost completely absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, Less potent UV rays travel through the atmosphere, and can cause sunburn, The sun also emits infrared radiation, whose waves are much lower- frequency, Most heat from the sun arrives as infrared energy.

1. Sandwiched between infrared and UV is the visible spectrum, which contains all the colors we see on Earth.
2. The color red has the longest wavelengths (closest to infrared), and violet (closest to UV) the shortest.
3. Natural Solar Energy Greenhouse Effect The infrared, visible, and UV waves that reach the Earth take part in a process of warming the planet and making life possible—the so-called ” greenhouse effect,” About 30% of the solar energy that reaches Earth is reflected back into space.

The rest is absorbed into Earth’s atmosphere, The radiation warms the Earth’s surface, and the surface radiates some of the energy back out in the form of infrared waves. As they rise through the atmosphere, they are intercepted by greenhouse gases, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide.

• Greenhouse gases trap the heat that reflects back up into the atmosphere.
• In this way, they act like the glass walls of a greenhouse.
• This greenhouse effect keeps the Earth warm enough to sustain life.
• Photosynthesis Almost all life on Earth relies on solar energy for food, either directly or indirectly.

Producers rely directly on solar energy, They absorb sunlight and convert it into nutrients through a process called photosynthesis, Producers, also called autotrophs, include plants, algae, bacteria, and fungi. Autotrophs are the foundation of the food web,

Consumers rely on producers for nutrients, Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores rely on solar energy indirectly. Herbivores eat plants and other producers. Carnivores and omnivores eat both producers and herbivores. Detritivores decompose plant and animal matter by consuming it. Fossil Fuels Photosynthesis is also responsible for all of the fossil fuels on Earth.

Scientists estimate that about 3 billion years ago, the first autotrophs evolved in aquatic settings. Sunlight allowed plant life to thrive and evolve. After the autotrophs died, they decomposed and shifted deeper into the Earth, sometimes thousands of meters.

1. This process continued for millions of years.
2. Under intense pressure and high temperatures, these remains became what we know as fossil fuels,
3. Microorganisms became petroleum, natural gas, and coal.
4. People have developed processes for extracting these fossil fuels and using them for energy.
5. However, fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource,

They take millions of years to form. Harnessing Solar Energy Solar energy is a renewable resource, and many technologies can harvest it directly for use in homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals. Some solar energy technologies include photovoltaic cells and panels, concentrated solar energy, and solar architecture,

• There are different ways of capturing solar radiation and converting it into usable energy.
• The methods use either active solar energy or passive solar energy,
• Active solar technologies use electrical or mechanical devices to actively convert solar energy into another form of energy, most often heat or electricity.

Passive solar technologies do not use any external devices. Instead, they take advantage of the local climate to heat structures during the winter, and reflect heat during the summer. Photovoltaics Photovoltaics is a form of active solar technology that was discovered in 1839 by 19-year-old French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel.

Becquerel discovered that when he placed silver-chloride in an acidic solution and exposed it to sunlight, the platinum electrodes attached to it generated an electric current, This process of generating electricity directly from solar radiation is called the photovoltaic effect, or photovoltaics,

Today, photovoltaics is probably the most familiar way to harness solar energy, Photovoltaic arrays usually involve solar panels, a collection of dozens or even hundreds of solar cells. Each solar cell contains a semiconductor, usually made of silicon.

When the semiconductor absorbs sunlight, it knocks electrons loose. An electrical field directs these loose electrons into an electric current, flowing in one direction. Metal contacts at the top and bottom of a solar cell direct that current to an external object. The external object can be as small as a solar-powered calculator or as large as a power station.

Photovoltaics was first widely used on spacecraft. Many satellites, including the International Space Station, feature wide, reflective “wings” of solar panels, The ISS has two solar array wings (SAWs), each using about 33,000 solar cells. These photovoltaic cells supply all electricity to the ISS, allowing astronauts to operate the station, safely live in space for months at a time, and conduct scientific and engineering experiments.

Photovoltaic power stations have been built all over the world. The largest stations are in the United States, India, and China. These power stations emit hundreds of megawatts of electricity, used to supply homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals. Photovoltaic technology can also be installed on a smaller scale.

Solar panels and cells can be fixed to the roofs or exterior walls of buildings, supplying electricity for the structure. They can be placed along roads to light highways. Solar cells are small enough to power even smaller devices, such as calculators, parking meters, trash compactors, and water pumps.

1. Concentrated Solar Energy Another type of active solar technology is concentrated solar energy or concentrated solar power (CSP).
2. CSP technology uses lenses and mirrors to focus (concentrate) sunlight from a large area into a much smaller area.
3. This intense area of radiation heats a fluid, which in turn generates electricity or fuels another process.

Solar furnaces are an example of concentrated solar power. There are many different types of solar furnaces, including solar power towers, parabolic troughs, and Fresnel reflectors. They use the same general method to capture and convert energy. Solar power towers use heliostats, flat mirrors that turn to follow the sun ‘s arc through the sky.

The mirrors are arranged around a central “collector tower,” and reflect sunlight into a concentrated ray of light that shines on a focal point on the tower. In previous designs of solar power towers, the concentrated sunlight heated a container of water, which produced steam that powered a turbine,

More recently, some solar power towers use liquid sodium, which has a higher heat capacity and retains heat for a longer period of time. This means that the fluid not only reaches temperatures of 773 to 1,273 K (500 to 1,000° C or 932 to 1,832° F), but it can continue to boil water and generate power even when the sun is not shining.

1. Parabolic troughs and Fresnel reflectors also use CSP, but their mirrors are shaped differently.
2. Parabolic mirrors are curved, with a shape similar to a saddle.
3. Fresnel reflectors use flat, thin strips of mirror to capture sunlight and direct it onto a tube of liquid.
4. Fresnel reflectors have more surface area than parabolic troughs and can concentrate the sun ‘s energy to about 30 times its normal intensity.

Concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s. The largest facility in the world is a series of plants in California’s Mojave Desert. This Solar Energy Generating System (SEGS) generates more than 650 gigawatt-hours of electricity every year.

1. Other large and effective plants have been developed in Spain and India.
2. Concentrated solar power can also be used on a smaller scale.
3. It can generate heat for solar cookers, for instance.
4. People in villages all over the world use solar cookers to boil water for sanitation and to cook food.
5. Solar cookers provide many advantages over wood-burning stoves: They are not a fire hazard, do not produce smoke, do not require fuel, and reduce habitat loss in forests where trees would be harvested for fuel.

Solar cookers also allow villagers to pursue time for education, business, health, or family during time that was previously used for gathering firewood. Solar cookers are used in areas as diverse as Chad, Israel, India, and Peru. Solar Architecture Throughout the course of a day, solar energy is part of the process of thermal convection, or the movement of heat from a warmer space to a cooler one.

When the sun rises, it begins to warm objects and material on Earth. Throughout the day, these materials absorb heat from solar radiation. At night, when the sun sets and the atmosphere has cooled, the materials release their heat back into the atmosphere, Passive solar energy techniques take advantage of this natural heating and cooling process.

Homes and other buildings use passive solar energy to distribute heat efficiently and inexpensively. Calculating a building’s ” thermal mass ” is an example of this. A building’s thermal mass is the bulk of material heated throughout the day. Examples of a building’s thermal mass are wood, metal, concrete, clay, stone, or mud.

At night, the thermal mass releases its heat back into the room. Effective ventilation systems—hallways, windows, and air ducts—distribute the warmed air and maintain a moderate, consistent indoor temperature. Passive solar technology is often involved in the design of a building. For example, in the planning stage of construction, the engineer or architect may align the building with the sun ‘s daily path to receive desirable amounts of sunlight,

This method takes into account the latitude, altitude, and typical cloud cover of a specific area. In addition, buildings can be constructed or retrofitted to have thermal insulation, thermal mass, or extra shading. Other examples of passive solar architecture are cool roofs, radiant barriers, and green roofs,

Cool roofs are painted white, and reflect the sun ‘s radiation instead of absorbing it. The white surface reduces the amount of heat that reaches the interior of the building, which in turn reduces the amount of energy that is needed to cool the building. Radiant barriers work similarly to cool roofs.

They provide insulation with highly reflective materials, such as aluminum foil. The foil reflects, instead of absorbs, heat, and can reduce cooling costs up to 10%. In addition to roofs and attics, radiant barriers may also be installed beneath floors.

Green roofs are roofs that are completely covered with vegetation, They require soil and irrigation to support the plants, and a waterproof layer beneath. Green roofs not only reduce the amount of heat that is absorbed or lost, but also provide vegetation, Through photosynthesis, the plants on green roofs absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen.

They filter pollutants out of rainwater and air, and offset some of the effects of energy use in that space. Green roofs have been a tradition in Scandinavia for centuries, and have recently become popular in Australia, Western Europe, Canada, and the United States.

For example, the Ford Motor Company covered 42,000 square meters (450,000 square feet) of its assembly plant roofs in Dearborn, Michigan, with vegetation, In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the roofs reduce stormwater runoff by absorbing several centimeters of rainfall. Green roofs and cool roofs can also counteract the ” urban heat island ” effect.

In busy cities, the temperature can be consistently higher than the surrounding areas. Many factors contribute to this: Cities are constructed of materials such as asphalt and concrete that absorb heat; tall buildings block wind and its cooling effects; and high amounts of waste heat is generated by industry, traffic, and high populations.

1. Using the available space on the roof to plant trees, or reflecting heat with white roofs, can partially alleviate local temperature increases in urban areas.
2. Solar Energy and People Since sunlight only shines for about half of the day in most parts of the world, solar energy technologies have to include methods of storing the energy during dark hours.

Thermal mass systems use paraffin wax or various forms of salt to store the energy in the form of heat. Photovoltaic systems can send excess electricity to the local power grid, or store the energy in rechargeable batteries. There are many pros and cons to using solar energy,

Advantages A major advantage to using solar energy is that it is a renewable resource, We will have a steady, limitless supply of sunlight for another 5 billion years. In one hour, the Earth’s atmosphere receives enough sunlight to power the electricity needs of every human being on Earth for a year.

Solar energy is clean. After the solar technology equipment is constructed and put in place, solar energy does not need fuel to work. It also does not emit greenhouse gases or toxic materials. Using solar energy can drastically reduce the impact we have on the environment.

1. There are locations where solar energy is practical,
2. Homes and buildings in areas with high amounts of sunlight and low cloud cover have the opportunity to harness the sun ‘s abundant energy.
3. Solar cookers provide an excellent alternative to cooking with wood-fired stoves—on which 2 billion people still rely.

Solar cookers provide a cleaner and safer way to sanitize water and cook food. Solar energy complements other renewable sources of energy, such as wind or hydroelectric energy, Homes or businesses that install successful solar panels can actually produce excess electricity.

These homeowners or businessowners can sell energy back to the electric provider, reducing or even eliminating power bills. Disadvantages The main deterrent to using solar energy is the required equipment. Solar technology equipment is expensive. Purchasing and installing the equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars for individual homes.

Although the government often offers reduced taxes to people and businesses using solar energy, and the technology can eliminate electricity bills, the initial cost is too steep for many to consider. Solar energy equipment is also heavy. In order to retrofit or install solar panels on the roof of a building, the roof must be strong, large, and oriented toward the sun ‘s path.

• Both active and passive solar technology depend on factors that are out of our control, such as climate and cloud cover,
• Local areas must be studied to determine whether or not solar power would be effective in that area.
• Sunlight must be abundant and consistent for solar energy to be an efficient choice.

In most places on Earth, sunlight ‘s variability makes it difficult to implement as the only source of energy. Fast Fact Agua Caliente The Agua Caliente Solar Project, in Yuma, Arizona, is the world’s largest array of photovoltaic panels. Agua Caliente has more than 5 million photovoltaic modules, and generates more than 600 gigawatt-hours of electricity.

Fast Fact Green Chicago Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois, has one of the most expansive green roofs in the worldalmost 100,000 square meters (more than a million square feet). Vegetation at ground level covers 24.5 acres of an underground parking garage, and includes gardens, picnic areas, and an outdoor concert facility.

Fast Fact Solar Decathlon The Solar Decathlon is a biannual international event presented by the U.S. Department of Energy. Teams compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. A team from the University of Maryland won the 2011 contest, and the next Solar Decathlon will be held in 2013,

Why don’t we paint roofs white?

Painting roofs white has been–like changing lightbulbs–one of the well-cited easy ways out of climate change. By reflecting more light and heat back to the atmosphere, a white roof should act like a natural anti-warming device, while also reducing your energy costs by keeping your house cool in the summer.

1. Turns out, painting your roof white would be simply a massive waste of white paint.
2. As it is, Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford and his colleague, research student John Ten Hoeve, found in a new paper in the Journal of Climate that while white surfaces cooled houses, they also reduced cloudiness, allowing more sunlight to reach the ground.

That conclusion complements a recent study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research that found that the positive effect of white roofs in the summer would be offset by a negative effect in the winter. “There does not seem to be a benefit from investing in white roofs,” says Jacobson.

• The most important thing is to reduce emissions of the pollutants that contribute to global warming.” Solar panels are a better idea than white paint, he says.
• The better thing to do is to put a solar panel on the roof because that not only cools the house by absorbing the sunlight to make electricity.

It also offsets fossil fuel generation at power plants.” Jacobson is similarly against other geo-engineering approaches, such as the idea of pumping tons of sulphur particles into the atmosphere to reflect light back into space. “With all geo-engineering approaches, you are not solving the problem but masking it.

There are all kinds of consequences people are not aware of, and it doesn’t solve the problem. You are still going to have all these greenhouse gases going into the air.” Among other debunkings in the report: the finding that “urban heat islands”–the heating effect of covering vegetation with buildings and roads–may have as much impact on the climate as greenhouse gasses.

Heat islands are an attractive explanation for two reasons. One, nobody disputes that cities produce more heat than rural areas. Roofs and sidewalks absorb more sunlight than greenery, and reduce evaporation, lessening the natural cooling effect. Cities also see more human activity, producing heat from transport, air conditioning, and the like.

Moreover, the effect of heat islands on climate change has been under-studied. Jacobson says until recently nobody had ever done research covering the global impact, including the impact of “feedbacks” between urban surfaces and the atmosphere. But it turns out that since the Industrial Revolution only 2 to 4 percent of “gross” global warming has been caused by heat islands, while 79 percent can put down to greenhouse gasses, and 18 percent is due to “black carbon” (soot in the air that absorbs sunlight).

“Two to 4 percent is small relative to other contributors. But people who are contrarian to global warming suggest that heat islands are responsible for a large part of global warming. This and sunspots are the main arguments of climate skeptics,” says Jacobson.

What is the advantage of a white roof?

What Are The Advantages Of White Commercial Roofs? – White roofs are cool, as in they stay cool and help promote cooler building interiors. This is due to their enhanced solar reflectance and thermal emittance, so they are less affected by the presence of sunlight.

1. Promotes heat safety in hotter climates – On a bright summer day, the difference in temperature between a white roof and a dark roof can be as much as 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Much of that extra thermal energy is conducted into the building, making conditions uncomfortable, especially for people sensitive to the heat. According to The White Roof Project, a white roof can reduce interior temperatures by 30 degrees or more, making it much easier to keep temps in the safe zone.
2. Reduces energy costs – In warmer climates, a white roof can greatly reduce the load on a commercial HVAC system, and therefore reduce cooling costs. Studies comparing white and dark roofs have noted close to a 20 percent reduction in energy spent cooling, as long as a white roof is overhead.
3. Reduces emissions – Not only are energy costs reduced, but emissions are as well. This includes a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, so installing a white roof is an easy way to go green.
4. Mitigates the effect of urban heat islands – Urban heat islands (UHIs) occur inside and around urban areas and are pockets of elevated temperatures caused by human activity. UHIs are particularly noticeable at night, where the difference between urban and nearby rural areas can be as high as 20 degrees or more. During the day, the relative impact of UHIs are less, but even a small increase in temperatures can be enough to cause heat-related stresses and illness. Since white roofs reflect and emit more solar energy, they can reduce the spread and intensity of UHIs.

These benefits are considerable, and even better, commercial building owners can install a white roof without replacing their existing roof.

Why buildings are painted white from outside?

In places of hot climate, it is advised that the outer walls of houses be painted white because the white colour absorbs less heat. It reflects most of the heat and hence keeps the house cooler.

What does white paint symbolize?

The color white has a number of meanings and associations, although these may vary depending on the individual and the culture in which they live. Some of the main associations often connected to the color white include purity, innocence, cleanliness, blankness, coldness, emptiness, simplicity, and minimalism. Illustration by Cindy Chung, Verywell

What does white paint on property mean?

In 1976, construction workers accidentally cut into a petroleum pipeline running under the streets of Culver City, California, resulting in a fatal explosion that essentially leveled half of a city block. It wasn’t the first or last accident of its kind, but it helped catalyze the systemization of critical color-coded utility markings — mysterious-looking tags that look like nonsense or a secret code until you start to decipher them. On that fateful June 15th, workers were excavating Venice Boulevard to widen the road when disaster struck. Pressurized gas from a ruptured line ignited into a fireball and smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air. Flames engulfed businesses and apartment buildings along the block, killing and injuring dozens of people. Keeping track of work areas and what’s underground can be tricky, so organizations like DigAlert mandate the use of white (paint, chalk, flour or flags) to mark off construction zones, plus Uniform Color Codes developed by the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the temporary marking of underground utilities.

Red: electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables Orange: telecommunication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit Yellow: natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum or other flammables Green: sewers and drain lines Blue: drinking water Purple: reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines Pink: temporary survey markings, unknown/unidentified facilities White: proposed excavation limits or routes

These colors cover the general categories of unseen hazards workers need to take into account, but they are only part of the equation. Notations are also necessary to keep track of the locations, widths and depths of conduits, cables and pipes and identify the associated utility company. The stakes are high for underground excavation and construction projects. Negligent digging can cause everything from a major utility outage to gas leak evacuations (or worse). Hitting a water main may also trigger local flooding or require a boil-water advisory.

Does white paint reflect radiation?

With some simple chemical tweaks, cooling paint could more effectively reflect solar energy under a glaring sun. Whitewashed buildings that stay cool by reflecting heat are a mainstay in the Mediterranean. But not all white paint is created equal. Now researchers have made an ultra-white cooling paint that reflects up to 98 percent of the sun’s heat.

The new paint, reported in the journal Joule, could cool buildings more efficiently and significantly bring down cooling costs compared to conventional white cool-roof paints. Cooling living environments in an energy-efficient manner has become an “urgent challenge” as climate changes causes heat islands, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles write in the paper.

White cooling paints are an established cooling technology that help bring down indoor temperatures and thus save the electricity used for air-conditioning in hot climates. These paints work by reflecting heat-producing infrared radiation, and are typically made of titanium dioxide pigments in an acrylic or other polymer base.

1. The best white cool-roof paints available today reflect about 85 percent of solar radiation falling on them.
2. Titanium dioxide reflects most visible and near-infrared light well, but it absorbs ultraviolet rays, while the polymer binder can absorb near-infrared light.
3. This causes some heating under sunlight, so the paints don’t work very efficiently under harsh, bright sunshine.

So the researchers replaced the titanium oxide with inexpensive and easily available ingredients such as barite, which are natural pigments used in paints and coatings, and powered Teflon. These compounds help the paint reflect ultraviolet rays, The researchers also reduced the concentration of the polymer binders, which further reduce the heat absorbed by the paint.

These changes to paint formulation are within the means of today’s paints and coatings industry, said paper co-author Jyotirmoy Mandal. In the paper, Mandal and his colleagues highlight chemical and optical techniques that could be used to address technical challenges such as bringing down cost by reducing materials usage; enhancing the paint’ durability and resistance to soiling; reducing glare; and adding color to the paints,

“We hope that the work will spur future initiatives in super-white coatings for not only energy savings in buildings, but also mitigating the heat island effects of cities, and perhaps even showing a practical way that, if applied on a massive, global scale could affect climate change.” Source: Jyotirmoy Mandal et al.

Does white color absorb radiation?

Video Transcript – Which color of a surface makes it better at emitting and absorbing infrared radiation, black or white? So in this question we have to work out which color, whether it’s black or white, is the better color at emitting and absorbing infrared radiation.

Now the first thing we need to know is that good absorbers of infrared are also good emitters of infrared. Therefore, any surface that’s good at absorbing infrared will also be good at emitting it. Secondly, we need to know is that white surfaces reflect visible light and black surfaces absorb it. That’s actually the reason why these surfaces appear white or black, because white light is made up of all colors of the spectrum.

So if we shine white light on a certain surface and it reflects it all back at us, then that surface will appear white to us, whereas if we shine some white light onto a surface and it absorbs all of the light, then we will see it as black. However, this is only talking about visible light, not infrared.

• Now when it comes to white surfaces and black surfaces, they are both pretty decent absorbers of infrared radiation.
• However, black surfaces absorb most of the visible light that we shine onto them and a lot more infrared radiation that we shine onto them compared to white surfaces.
• The white surfaces are not quite as good as black surfaces at absorbing infrared radiation.

In other words, the black surface and white surface have absorption spectra that look like the following. The white surface shown above has some absorption in the infrared range and very little in the visible, because it reflects most of the light in the visible range, whereas the black surface has a lot of absorption in the infrared range and a lot of absorption in the visible range.

Does white absorb radiation?

Also most surfaces absorb radiation and transform it into heat. White surfaces reflect visible light, but absorb infrared. Black surfaces absorb both visible light and infrared. Shiny surfaces reflect both of them.

Is a white roof better for the environment?

White roofs may not be so green. Sometimes It Gets Complicated Recently I’ve argued on TheGreenGrok.com that in some cases, as in discerning the long-term global temperature trend (or employing smart regulation when it comes to deepwater drilling ) a little common sense will suffice,

But sometimes the climate system can surprise you — what seems like common sense may prove to be not so commonsensical. In a paper published in the Journal of Climate authors Mark Z. Jacobson and John Ten Hoeve of Stanford University argue that the climate impact of white roofs is a case in point. Be a Painter, Paint It White When faced with a tough problem, it’s often a good idea to start with the low-hanging fruit — the simple, easy stuff that gets the ball rolling.

In the case of global warming, white roofs looked to be the low-hanging no-brainer. Things are getting too hot? Simple, paint the roofs white so that they reflect more sunlight, and presto chango, things cool down a bit. Cool idea, right? I thought so, and so did our very own Nobel prize-winning secretary of energy, Steve Chu, who has publicly urged a grassroots paint-roofs-white movement,

See video,) Chu cites estimates that painting roofs (specifically flat roofs) white would be the equivalent of reducing carbon emissions from all cars on the road for 11 years. Imagine a world with no cars for 11 years. Hard to do. But imagine a world with white roofs. Easy as pie — and that, I guess, was the idea.

Easy, But Not Such a Good Idea, Say Authors Jacobson and Ten Hoeve When you paint a roof white, there’s more happening than meets the eye. Sure, white roofs reflect sunlight and that cools the earth. But white roofs, by reducing the amount of solar heating at the surface, also decrease the temperature difference between the surface and the air about a half mile to a mile up from the surface.

It turns out that that temperature difference is what drives cloud formation. So, by decreasing the temperature difference, white roofs can suppress cloud formation, which allows more sunlight to penetrate, and that, lo and behold, heats things up — exactly what we don’t want. The net effect of making roofs white depends on which of these two competing processes dominates — cooling by reflection or heating by cloud suppression? To find out which is more important, Jacobson and Ten Hoeve carried out a series of climate simulations using a model called GATOR-GCMOM, a global-regional “Gas, Aerosol, Transport, Radiation, General Circulation, Mesoscale, and Ocean Model that attempts to simulate climate, weather, and air pollution on all scales.” Impressive.

If I had my druthers I wouldn’t call it GATOR-GCMOM, I’d call it OMOE — Our Model of Everything. Whatever the model’s name, Jacobson and Ten Hoeve ran it for 20 years of simulation time for a world with no urban areas, a world with today’s distribution of urban areas, and one with all white roofs in all the world’s urban areas.

The urban heat island effect is negligible. The phenomenon that causes urban areas to be a few degrees warmer than nearby rural areas (because of buildings and other impervious surfaces) has only a small contribution to gross global warming — on the order of two to four percent. This result is in line with other investigations, including data released last week by the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) project, but counter to claims from the climate denier camp (see also here ).When roofs were painted white, local temperatures in cities did cool as one might expect. On average (weighted for population) the drop in temperature was about 0.04 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s not a whole lot, but if you hang out in a city during the summer, you’d be thinking right about now, Bring on those white roofs! And I wouldn’t blame you.However, globally, those roofs were estimated to cause warming. Again, the temperature is not much, we’re talking only about 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit, but still, the authors argue, it’s an amount larger than the statistical noise in their model.

Another Complication One thing the authors didn’t assess is the impact of white roofs on energy use and the concomitant fossil fuel emissions. By cooling temperatures in the summer, white roofs should lessen the need for air conditioning, which in turn reduces electricity use, greenhouse gas emissions, and warming.

However, during the winter, white roofs increase the demand for heating, which in turn leads to more emissions and more warming. While Jacobson and Ten Hoeve did not look at that aspect of the problem, Oleson et al did in a paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters in February last year.

They found that on average over the globe, wintertime energy demand trumped warm weather cooling gains, implying that this aspect would only add to the net warming effect from white roofs. When I covered this paper last year, I noted that there was a way around this problem — temperature-sensitive, color-changing roofing material.

And wouldn’t you know it, a team of students at MIT was already developing such a material, One could also only paint roofs white in warmer areas where heating needs are small. A Cautionary Tale Models of everything can be impressive things, and kudos to the scientists who have developed them, but they are in the end just models and models that are attempting to simulate a very complex array of processes.

For that reason, I wouldn’t take Jacobson and Ten Hoeve’s result that white roofs cause warming to the bank just yet. And the authors agree and in fact recommend further work. But their calculations do illustrate very nicely that using white roofs to cool the climate might actually turn out to be a “no-brainer” in a somewhat different sense.

• And there’s another point.
• There are folks out there who are suggesting that we handle the global warming problem through geoengineering — consciously altering the environment to counter warming rather than, or in addition to, lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
• The argument against this path is that one can never be sure what the actual effect of such actions might be — because the climate is so complicated, geoengineering could have counterintuitive, even harmful effects.

(See here, here, here, and here,) Of all the geoengineering ideas, the one often cited as the simplest, most obvious one, the one we should get started on right away is painting roofs white — after all how can that not help? How indeed.

Does the roof color matter?

Dark Roof Shingles vs. Light Roof Shingles – If you’ve already done a bit of research, you’ve probably heard that light roof shingles are best for warm climates, while dark roof shingles are better for cooler climates. At face value, this does make some sense.

1. Darker colors absorb more heat, and warmer roofs make it easy for snow and ice to slide right off.
2. Lighter colors reflect sun rays, keeping roofs cooler and helping homeowners in warmer climates save a little on their energy bills.
3. But, given today’s technology, the lightness or darkness of your asphalt shingles doesn’t have all that much to do with the energy efficiency of your home.

What’s more likely to have a bigger impact on your roof’s efficiency is the quality of shingles you choose. When examined side by side, white and black shingles from a high-quality roof manufacturer only provide about two degrees of difference in temperature.

Why would someone paint their roof?

Makes Your Roof Last Longer – Roof paint adds a protective layer over the base material of your roof. It prevents things like harmful UV rays, moisture, and debris from directly damage your roofing material. Because of this, painting your roof will extend its lifespan. Instead of repairing or replacing your roof, you can simply repaint it when the current paint starts to wear down.

Which roof color is the best?

More and more homeowners are adding value to their property – and lifestyle – by creating outdoor living spaces. When it’s time to think outside the home, it’s time to include that new roof in your plans. Wouldn’t you love to have an outdoor kitchen for al fresco cooking, dining and entertaining? Or a spa-like relaxation area complete with a pool, deck, hot tub or even a sauna? See how much of your new roof will be visible from your backyard? Consider it an element of your exterior decorating! Maybe you’d prefer the quieter charms of a graceful gazebo amid a zen meditation garden or just a restful conversation area on your deck or patio? The shingle colors of these roofs blend harmoniously with the natural surroundings, gardens and landscaping. Altogether beautiful! No matter what your backyard dream is, you’ll be seeing a lot more of your roof when you spend that much time outside. So the asphalt shingles you choose for your roof should be beautiful to behold and make a personal statement about those who live under its protection. Can a roof really express a homeowner’s personality? Yes! Depending on the style of home and the color of the roofing shingles you choose, you can create a warm, welcoming vibe or a bold, dramatic statement. You can opt for traditional elegance or an ultra-contemporary urban chic. The right color and style of roofing shingles will also make a great first impression from the front of your home, enhancing its curb appeal and potentially boosting its resale value. A new roof is a big investment that you – and your neighbors – will have to live with for many years. According to industry research, one of the greatest challenges many homeowners face is how to match shingle colors that complement their home. The table below can help you quickly match roof shingle colors to your home’s basic exterior color:

HOUSE COLOR	BEST MATCHING ROOF SHINGLE COLOR
Red	Dark Brown, Black, Grey, Green
Light Grey	Grey, Black, Green, Blue, White
Beige/Cream	Brown, Black, Grey, Green, Blue
Brown	Grey, Brown, Green, Blue
White	Almost any color including Brown, Grey, Black, Green, Blue, White
Weathered Wood or Log Houses	Brown, Green, Black, Grey

We’ve put together 17 facts and tips to help you match shingle colors to your home.1. Your roof can account for up to 40% of your home’s visual exterior, so it deserves as much consideration as you’d devote to its interior design. The higher the pitch or the greater the slope of your roof, the more you’ll see the shingles from street level. When selecting your asphalt roofing shingles, choose a color and profile that will enhance your home’s architectural style and draw the eye upward toward any special details, like dormers and gables.2.

1. Color is too important a factor to ignore.
2. Not only does it have a psychological effect (calming, soothing, exciting, etc.) on us, it can serve other purposes that we’ll explore more fully below.3.
3. How to choose shingle colors that complement your home? It’s helpful to start by thinking big.
4. Then narrow down your choices.

Here’s how.4. The first question to ask yourself is where do you live? Because climate and geography matter. In the past, light-colored asphalt shingles weren’t as prevalent in the humid southern climate. Today, however, the addition of special algae-resistant granules that help inhibit the growth of blue-green algae helps reduce the appearance of harmless but unsightly black streaks. If your home is in the Pacific Northwest, you may wish to choose roofing shingles in shades or combos of grey, brown or green to harmonize with the natural environment of sea and evergreens.5. In the north, natural sunlight has a cool, bluish cast to it; the farther south you go, the warmer and more reddish the character of the light becomes. When choosing a shingle color to match your home, always look at actual samples in different light conditions and remember that natural light varies considerably by location, not just time of day. Notice how the homeowner chose solid dark grey shingles because of the multicolored brickwork and intricate trim, then picked up those brick colors for the accents of shutters, doors and eavestroughing.

1. It all works! 6.
2. Construction and building materials can also vary by geographic location.
3. Here are two examples, and how they might affect choosing a shingle color for your roof.
4. Brick homes are more prevalent in northern areas; in southern areas, frame or stucco homes tend to be more common.
5. Other facings often used in both areas include masonry, stone veneer, wood logs, wood or vinyl siding.

Because this home’s brickwork is a fairly uniform red tone, the look and texture of these shingles in various shades of grey work especially well. If the brickwork had had a patchwork of various colors, this choice might have clashed. Suggested shingle colors for red brick houses: dark brown, black, grey, green. This roof’s contrasting hues of light and dark grey go great with the neutral, light grey siding. See how that touch of reddish brown in this color blend really gets picked up by the shutters? All these shades work together beautifully to create the upscale look of genuine slate tiles. 7. People often ask what color of shingle goes with such and such a color of house? We hope these examples will help answer some of your questions! Shingle colors for beige or cream-colored houses include brown, black, grey, green, blue in solid colors or an exciting color blend, as long as it doesn’t clash with the other exterior elements. Shingle colors for brown houses include grey, brown, black, green and possibly blue. Shown here are IKO Armourshake Premium Designer shingles in Weathered Stone, White houses allow the roof to be a truly blank canvas. Almost any color will look fantastic; it comes down to other variables, such as your neighborhood, home’s architectural style and your personal preference. Shingle colors for white houses include brown, grey, black, green, blue, white. Shown are IKO Royal Estate shingles in Shadow Slate – a very dramatic color blend. Shingle colors for weathered wood or log houses include brown, green, black, grey. Consider a shingle with a high-definition profile to mimic the look of natural wood shakes. Shown are IKO Dynasty Performance shingles in Glacier. 8. Darker colors absorb heat; lighter colors reflect heat and may help keep your home cooler, although you have to take what some say about energy savings with a grain of salt. Adequate ventilation and the quality of your home’s insulation are what really determine its energy efficiency.9. California building codes now require “cool roofs” that are Title 24-compliant, in order to help reduce a home’s carbon footprint. Look for asphalt roofing shingles manufactured with special, high-reflectance granules embedded in them. They’re engineered to reflect the sun’s radiant heat and are available in a surprising range of colors, from white and grey to darker shades of grey and brown.10. Asphalt roofing shingles in a color blend of various shades of brown co-ordinate beautifully with the fixed exterior elements of this chateau-style home’s light but multicolored brickwork, patterned driveway/courtyard pavement and even the mulch chips, as well as with the natural surroundings.11. The neighboring homes in this subdivision are similar in style but their facings are of different hues. Notice how all houses have the same color of roofing shingle. The multi-tone grey goes well with each house’s color yet creates an overall look that is very cohesive and visually attractive.12.

What’s your home’s architectural style? Always select a shingle color that complements yet contrasts with your home’s exterior elements, no matter what style of home you have. If everything matches, the overall look will be bland and boring.Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial, Plantation and other historical homes look best in traditional colors.

Choose dark grey or black, either in solid colors or varying shades to mimic the look of natural slate tiles or brown, to evoke the look of genuine wood shake construction. Dark green or blue might work well too, depending on the color of your current siding and facing. This graceful Victorian home with its cream-colored siding, red brick chimney and street-level posts remains true to character with these roofing shingles in varying shades of brown. Asphalt shingles are ideal for roofing those challenging angles, multiple planes and rounded turrets too.Rustic homes, waterfront or rural properties have a more casual, less formal, look. Rural homes, whether of log, wood or stone construction, can look warm, casual and inviting yet very dramatic, as the choice of grey roofing shingles emulating slate tiles shows here.13. Always mix patterns with care, especially if the color of the facing and the roofing shingles being considered already contrast with each other.

• A good rule of thumb is to mix patterns ON your home the way you’d mix them IN your home; i.e., combine a large print with a smaller print in a complementary color.
• For example, does your home’s facing feature a pattern of multicolored bricks? Then roofing shingles in a multicolored color blend may or may not be a good choice, depending on how large or busy the pattern of bricks is.

Similarly, if your facing is a stone veneer of very large, randomly sized and multicolored fieldstones, roofing shingles with a prominent texture or multiple colors are likely to compete or clash. Here’s a great example of successfully mixing patterns. 14. Do you want to hide or enhance? Enlarge or reduce? A roof of light-colored asphalt shingles can make your home appear larger and draw attention to any positive features, while darker colors can hide imperfections and create focus.15. Outbuildings need roofs too. This grey and brown color blend is an excellent roofing shingle choice based on the siding, wood beam accents and stone facing of this outdoor structure and its surrounding greenery.16. Try before you buy. You’d never choose a paint color without taking sample chips home and looking at them against the walls to be painted in various lighting conditions, so always look at actual shingle samples at different times of day against all of your home’s exterior elements to make sure that what you see is what you’ll get.Remember to look at existing roofs in your community that have the same shingles and color blends for inspiration – and confirmation – too.

What does white roof mean?

Black roofs are outdated as Halifax roofing contractors have deemed black roofs to be less environmentally friendly. They absorb heat, transferring it inside the building. As a result, building occupants turn on their air conditioning systems. These cooling devices work harder than usual to lower temperatures and keep them at comfortable levels.

1. So, the debate is left between white roofs and green roofs in the roofing industry.
2. Many people wondering which of the two best suits the needs of commercial building owners in Halifax.
3. While many roofing companies Halifax have not arrived at a conclusion, still it would be a good thing to look into the benefits of these roofing systems.

After all, commercial property owners have unique preferences when it comes to roofing systems. In this article, you are going to learn the differences and advantages of a white roof versus a green roof. If you’re ready, let’s get started. White Roofs Also known as “cool roofs,” white roofs are painted with a solar reflective coating. As one might guess, white roofs basically reflect up to 90% of sunlight, This is in contrast to a black roof’s capacity to reflect light which is only 20%. The solar reflectivity index (SRI) of white roofs is the reason why roofing contractors Halifax recommend this roofing system for buildings.

• The white color itself makes a better choice for building owners who are looking to save on energy bills and lower the incidence of environmental damage.
• Remember what you have learned in school about the ability of white color to reflect heat and black to absorb heat? This is the exact principle that applies to white roofing systems.

Keeps your home or commercial building cool all year round People are complaining about unusually high energy bills during summer months. Unless there is a problem with their cooling systems, their roofing materials are more likely to be blamed. According to Whiteroofproject.org, people across the United States spend about $40 billion on a yearly basis on the use of air conditioning systems.

1. With a white roof in place, a homeowner or commercial building owner can enjoy up to 40% of energy savings,
2. As white roofs reflect the UV rays of the sun, the temperature inside their home or building is reduced.
3. This means that the interior of their property is cooler than the temperature of the air outside.

A positive impact on the environment Yes, white roofs greatly affect the planet. Hashem Akbari, a leading scientist of the Heat Island Group mentions that moving towards the use of white roofs can greatly offset carbon dioxide emissions from cars all over the planet. Now we turn to green roofs. Green roofs refer to vegetation on rooftops of buildings. As more and more urban structures are being built, people turn to green spaces to preserve the quality of the environment. What green roofs are popularly known for is their ability to mitigate stormwater runoff,

1. As you might already be aware of, during heavy rains, runoff from roof surfaces cause erosion and worsen flooding.
2. Thriving plants on vegetated roofs or rooftop gardens absorb or retain 60% to 100% of storm water that they receive.
3. The soil acts like a sponge.
4. Water will return to the atmosphere through the process of evaporation and transpiration.

As a result, only a small amount of water leaves the rooftop.

Which Colour roofing is best?

1. Colours should follow the style of the building – If your house is being built to reflect a certain architectural style, then choosing the traditional colour scheme associated with it will often be your best choice and will give you an overall look that is consistent and uniform throughout.

If you’re wanting to achieve a more contemporary look to your home you need to pick different colours than what you would choose for a traditional or Mediterranean house. You can enhance or ruin the style of your house with the colour choice of your roof. What roof colours are the right ones for modern houses? Charcoal, black and dark grey roof colours go well with modern style houses depending on the colours of walls and windows, doors, of course.

While red roofs are a good match with traditional and Mediterranean houses. Make sure you do not mix these up otherwise you may end up with a house which is not harmonious in its look.

What color roof is most energy efficient?

Cool Roof Colors – A roof that absorbs heat is typically black or falls along the darker side of the color spectrum. For a cool roof, one that deflects UV radiation and discourages heat retention, go in the opposite direction the spectrum—white. White is the best color for energy efficiency because of the albedo effect. You’ll notice when you change your roof color to white or a lighter shade that your utility bills won’t be nearly as expensive. Your AC unit won’t have to work as hard, which extends its lifespan.

What is the white roofing called?

White roofing systems are typically made from TPO or PVC and installed as a flat roof, but are also available in other options (like commercial metal roofing). These types of commercial roofs are commonly known as ‘ cool roofs ‘ because they reflect light, limiting the energy your building absorbs from solar energy.

How do white roofs help climate change?

Fight Global Warming With a White Roof A can of white paint should be part of the planet’s arsenal against global warming, say California researchers, who have calculated that installing white roofs in the world’s cities could offset 1.5 years of man-made carbon emissions.

Light-colored roofs cool the planet in two ways. First, they reflect a certain fraction of radiation back into space, which means that the earth receives less of the sun’s energy. Second, a cooler house requires less air conditioning-and hence results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

The new study focused on the first effect. To analyze the impact of a change in the reflectivity of city roofs, scientists with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the state of California estimated the global number of roofs and asphalt surfaces in cities.

• They made a conservative estimate that those surfaces make-up 1% of the Earth’s surface.
• Modifying the roofs with light-colored tiles, the team found that using light-colored concrete, or applying white glazes to buildings, could increase the reflectivity of urban surfaces by 10%.
• That adjustment would negate the warming effects of 44 gigatons of carbon dioxide, the researchers report in an upcoming issue of Climatic Change,

(The world currently emits roughly 28 gigatons per year from fossil fuels.) Halting all deforestation of tropical forests could eliminate about seven gigatons of emissions, by comparison. “We were really surprised. We didn’t expect such a big effect,” says LBNL climate scientist Surabi Menon.

• Assuming a global system that would put a price on carbon emissions, the scientists then calculated the value of carbon credits awarded to homeowners and businesses for making their roofs and streets lighter.
• At $25 per ton, the authors found the market for light-colored roofs would be worth more than $1 billion.

It will be up to governments whether to offer such an incentive, says Menon, whose study didn’t calculate how much it would cost to make the surfaces more reflective through the various means. Climate modeler Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution of Washington Stanford, California, calls the paper a “decent set of calculations.” But he thinks that tying white roofs to carbon credits would be a mistake.

Why is it important to paint the roof?

Keeping interiors cool in the intense summer heat is a major concern especially in states like Florida. This is also reflected in an EIA survey, which confirms that Florida households consume 40 percent more energy than the national average. Nearly 30 percent of the total energy is used for air conditioning. A passive cooling solution is to apply a reflective roof coating to existing roofs. Our professional painting contractors recommend painting your roof for the reasons discussed below. Minimize Energy Consumption Under Florida’s summer sun, standard roofs can reach 150°F.

1. Cool” roofs, on the other hand, can reach a maximum temperature of 100°F.
2. When the sun’s rays hit a rooftop coated with a specialty product, up to 80 percent of the rays bounce back into the atmosphere.
3. As a result, highly reflective roof coatings lower roof temperatures, decreasing the heat passed on to the buildings and reducing energy consumption.

Considering how hot Florida summers can be, this translates into hefty savings. By extension, energy savings reduce air pollution, with a positive impact on the urban heat island effect and global warming. Protect Your Roof from Early Degradation Painting your roof provides protection against ultraviolet and infrared heat degradation.

1. The ultraviolet radiation and temperature fluctuations between day and night have a debilitating effect on roofs.
2. Coatings that reflect the sun’s rays can keep the temperature of your roof more constant, prolonging its lifespan.
3. This is particularly true for well-insulated roof systems, which cannot shed heat into the buildings.

Waterproof Your Roof High moisture levels and rainwater are two problems that shouldn’t be overlooked in Florida. Though most roofs are factory-produced and delivered with moisture-resistant repellents, rooftops should be coated with specialty products within several months from the installation.

• Waiting any longer may allow moisture or water to get through the moisture-resistant layer, which will cause roofing materials to deteriorate.
• Painting your roof with the right coating system and re-coating it regularly will seal the entire surface, including small holes and cracks.
• The result will be a waterproofing membrane that will provide long-term protection with minimal maintenance.

In warm, moist locations, harsh UV radiation, moisture, torrential rains and occasional hail aren’t the only factors that can shorten the lifespan of roofs. Roofs are also susceptible to damage due to algae, moss, mildew and mold growth. To address this issue, some cool roof coatings include chemicals that inhibit algae, moss and fungal growth.

Nowadays, you can find a wide variety of roof systems and roofing materials. However, the outer layer is the one that determines whether you have a traditional or a cool roof. Irrespective of the type of roof, applying a reflective coating system is often the easiest way to convert it into a cool roof.

If you’re interested in expert roof coating installation, Performance Painting Contractors has a dedicated team ready to solve your roofing problems. Experts on all types of coating systems, our professional paint contractors can help you keep your home, commercial space or industrial building not only cooler during the summer months but also looking its best throughout the years.

Is painting roof white worth it?

If I Paint My Roof White Will It Reduce Energy Costs? Like everyone, owners of commercial buildings are aware of the cooling power that white coloring can provide in the hot weather. We wear white clothing in order to reflect the sun’s rays, and it stands to reason that the same process would work with any structure, including large commercial roofs.

1. While it is undoubtedly true that white coloring is more reflective than darker colors, merely painting a roof with white paint will not provide energy savings.
2. The reflection of solar rays and heat in an amount large enough to provide natural cooling or energy savings is not present.
3. We have seen many cases over the years where self-applied paint has been more harmful than helpful.

There is much more in play from an engineering standpoint than simply applying ordinary paint. This is one of those areas where “do-it-yourself” solutions will not address the problems with a poorly designed commercial roof and will actually make them worse.

Standard paints can only reflect a percentage of visible light, and they still absorb (UV) ultraviolet and near-infrared rays. Standard white paints typically absorb about 95% of UV rays. The solar rays that ordinary white paint does not reflect will carry the directly to roof surfaces and into buildings as much as they would if the roof were not painted at all.

Engineers and scientists refer to a structure’s solar reflectance to understand how much solar energy a surface absorbs. Roofing with no protection will absorb 85 to 95 percent of the heat of the sun’s rays. Ordinary white paint is not manufactured to be effective at reflecting that heating power.

1. Standard paints typically only provide a millimeter or less of reflective coating and will not affect the UV and near-IV rays that send the most heating power.
2. The reflective power a white surface has is primarily determined by the material construction of the surface and its layers.
3. The color of the exterior surface supplements the reflective and cooling power of a roof.

White paint also does not affect the rate at which roofing materials radiate or release the heat that is absorbed throughout the day. Efficiently releasing trapped heat requires specialized materials which are not present in standard white paint. Ordinary white paint is also typically not truly white, which causes it to absorb more visible light in addition to UV and near-IR rays.

1. Typical paint finishes also hold dirt, sap, mud, and grime much more than modern commercial grade finishes.
2. As a painted roof gets dirtier, the less light of all types it will reflect.
3. Directly applying standard white paint to an ordinary roof for a cooling effect is a waste of white paint.
4. Several modern roofing system designs incorporate white surface colors with properly engineered materials to provide a highly reflective surface that more efficiently releases trapped heat.

Membrane roofing combines durable and easy to maintain roofing with highly reflective membrane surfaces that maximize the energy efficiency of white-colored cool roofing. Fabric-Reinforced ply roofing systems incorporate highly reflective liquid roofing material with an extremely strong but flexible fabric ply.

Metal roofs have exceptionally long lifespans, but older roofs will need a restoration that provides sealing and coating with properly designed reflective finishing material to provide effective cooling through solar reflection. In addition to the reflective and cooling attributes of these modern roofing systems, they are much more durable than traditional commercial roofing and stand up better to harsh weather without leaking or deteriorating.

A modern roofing system also provides energy savings in cold weather. Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) and single-ply membrane roofing systems provide additional insulation that lower heating energy costs in the winter months. Duratec Roofing Solutions’ roof systems and metal roof restorations utilize Conklin’s time-tested and proven acrylic roofing systems.

Duratec Roofing provides the maximum environmental and energy-saving benefits that white commercial roofing can provide. The Conklin Roofing Systems we install are highly reflective and lower roof temperatures by up to 40% while significantly reducing the amount of heat transferred to a building’s interior.

Our energy-efficient systems not only save on cooling and heating costs, but they also reduce the number of pollutants and carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Get the full benefit of greater roof durability and reduced air conditioning expense by contacting Duratec Roofing Solutions today.

Why would someone paint their roof?

Makes Your Roof Last Longer – Roof paint adds a protective layer over the base material of your roof. It prevents things like harmful UV rays, moisture, and debris from directly damage your roofing material. Because of this, painting your roof will extend its lifespan. Instead of repairing or replacing your roof, you can simply repaint it when the current paint starts to wear down.

Is white paint good for roof?

YES! White roof paint does not have the durability, strength, protection, reflectivity, and waterproofing capabilities of a white roof coating. Often time’s people refer to white roof coating, as white roof paint, when in fact, coating and paint are very different.

1. White roof paint cannot withstand the typical elements a roof endures.
2. It becomes brittle and will peal, chip and crack within a season.
3. A white roof paint does not protect your roof from the sun’s heat by reflecting the sun’s UV rays away from the building or provide waterproofing.
4. It was thought that they would provide energy savings being that they are white, however; because white roof paint cannot reflect the heat away, it does not add value to saving energy usage or costs.

White roof coatings contain high reflective pigments to ensure the sun’s heat is absorbed as little as possible. This allows the building to remain cooler, providing cost savings on energy consumption to cool the building. The high reflective pigments in white roof coatings also lengthen the life span of the roof by reflecting the damaging UV rays away from the building instead of absorbing them.

The sun’s UV rays are the leading cause of roof degradation because the intense heat breaks down and dries out ingredients that allow for the roof to expand and contract during weather and temperature fluctuations. Therefore, the highly reflective white roof coatings keep the roof from cracking, becoming brittle, and aging prematurely.

The polymers used in a white roof coating allow for superior bondage to the existing roof membrane. This is necessary as it provides excellent waterproofing and ensures durability and protection to the roof and building below. Learn more about white roof coatings; download our Considering Coating Guide – It’s FREE, Tags: Roof Coating Membranes, Roof Coating Systems, Coating Systems, Coating System, Roof Coating, White Roof Coating, Reflective Roof Coating, white roof paint, Reflective Coatings for Roofs