During the scorching summer months, folks will do anything to stay cool.
In the early 20th century, people would sleep on their front porches, hang cool rags in their doorways, and even freeze their underwear to beat the heat.
These days, of course, we are blessed with the relatively modern invention of air conditioning. First introduced into American homes in 1942, this modern marvel have been a cooling mainstay for Western society ever since. In fact, two thirds of all American homes have at least one air conditioning unit.
But the price of this convenience is high, sometimes making up around 20% of a home’s utility bill.
Luckily, researchers have recently revealed that there are alternative ways to keep your home cool during the summer.
In a two -year study conducted at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology, researchers found a roof paint coating that has the capability of reducing air conditioning costs by as much as 30%.
The paint works by reflecting up to 88% of the sun’s energy, effectively preventing the heat from permeating the buildings in question. In comparison, standard roofs are only capable of reflecting up to 25% of the sun’s energy.
The study looked at houses, schools, offices, and retail spaces in Brisbane, Australia. On each of the spaces they tested, they painted the roof coating on the building. Given the extremely hot and humid temperatures in Australia’s “Sunshine State,” the researchers could not have picked a better location.
In their findings, the authors reported that the special rooftop paint resulted in a two-degree Celsius difference in temperature in spaces that didn’t have air conditioning.
In fact, the temperature never rose above 80 degrees (F) in any of the buildings. With proper fans and ventilation, this may mean an elimination of air conditioning systems altogether.
In other words, a simple paint job could result in big savings on energy bills, and big wins for the environment.