White Houses in the Sun
Those heavenly homes overlooking the Aegean Sea on the island of Santorini, Greece make amateur photography easy. To get a good picture, just point and click. Local architects chose the correct shade for staying cool in the blazing summer sun. Dark colors capture heat. Light colors reflect heat.
Amazingly, US Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu created a controversy recently by proposing more white surfaces in hot climate zones around the world. The ancient Greeks figured this out in the days of Hera and Zeus. Our distant ancestors may not have considered how white surfaces mitigate the effects of global warming, but climate change wasn’t much of an issue back then.
Many large urban areas like Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona have predominantly dark colored roofs, roads and parking lots. These clustered dark surfaces produce urban heat islands which can increase air temperatures by 5-10%. A ninety degree day in the countryside is over one hundred degrees in the city.
Heat islands trap carbon dioxide and other pollutants which contribute to global warming. And urban homes and businesses combat the oppressive heat by cranking up their energy draining air conditioners.
Some state and local governments have seen the light. California building standards now require light colors on flat roofs of new buildings. The city of Phoenix, Arizona invested a portion of its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding in white paint for the roof of a public housing complex.
Dr. Chu deserves recognition for championing white surfaces. Communities save energy and protect the environment for the price of new paint.
Leave a Reply