It doesn't get any better than this. Obama's Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, has suggested that we paint our roof tops white to control global warming. He hypothesizes that lighter colored roofs would reflect heat into space rather than having it absorbed by darker surfaces thus cutting down on the use of air conditioning and saving money on energy usage.
Dr. Chu is a Nobel Prize Physicist who is known for his research on laser cooling. He is from a family of scientist that have excelled at their craft. He, however, must be riding the loony bus now. Proposing that hotter countries paint their roofs in order to save on air conditioning is akin to blowing on fire to cool it off. At least this cabinet secretary did not have a tax problem to go along with his 'white roof theory'!
Even if global warmist were truly correct, this kind of stupidity would bring their cause down. These guys would have you believe that man is causing this gigantic planet to warm up thus eventually causing the polar ice caps to melt, even though science has already proven that the world has actually cooled over the past several years. It is obvious that the theories behind global warming are incorrect or we would not have such lame ideas coming about. He is also suggesting that roads be more of a concrete color and that this would also help.
Since I am not a scientist and have never played one on T.V. I have a couple of questions:
If we paint our roofs so that we reflect heat into outer space, what happens on those cloudy days when the heat is being reflected back by the cloud cover? Will the heat then bounce around like the ball in the old pong video game? Why not just build several million giant mirrors to reflect the sunlight back to the sun!?
With trillions of dollars of debt, how are we to pay for this painting program in the U.S.? I am certain that we will need to use an eco-green paint to not place any unnecessary chemicals or carbon release into the atmosphere. The poor will not be able to afford to have their roofs painted so I guess we could create jobs for painting roofs. To cover a typical roof would require over 5 gallons of paint. Buying 5 gallons of paint from an online site for green paints would cost upwards of $260.
I think about the reflective qualities of concrete and white in general and I believe that it would cause major disruptions in air travel. We would have all of this reflective material bouncing heat and light back into the air and pilots from airlines as well as the space shuttle would have difficulty seeing. I say this because on a recent trip to Florida, driving down I-75 with its concrete color and the sun at high noon, I had to put my sunglasses on to keep the highway from blinding me.
This whole idea just stinks of lunacy and further weakens the cause of Global Warming. I am not a conservationist nor eco-terrorist. I use fossil fuels, electricity and water because it is there. I depend on it to be there. I do not recycle because I will not sort my trash unless there is something in it for me. Trying to decide if certain plastics are recyclable or not is just too much for me to fathom at this time. Having multiple trash receptacles is a waste of space in my garage. My car belongs there not my trash.
However, I am not opposed to finding alternative energy sources. But I am opposed to trying to rescue the economy by creating jobs around energy sources such as wind, thermal, hydro or solar. These ideas have merit but not on a grand scale except for maybe hydro power. We are a nation that depends on flicking the light switch in the up position and having the lights come on. Go green if you want to but just don't go goofy trying to do it. And definitely do not force it upon so many just to support a weak theory surrounding Global Warming.
These are my words! Please post yours!
7 comments:
I *partially* agree with him. At least as far as keeping certain houses cooler in the summer, like here in the South West. When my girlfriend needed a new roof, we put much lighter colored shingles on it, and her A/C bill has dropped. It does make some sense if you look at the heat load caused by a dark roof. BUT...in states like Minnesota, you wouldn't see any savings in the summer.
I'll give him a *slight* benefit of doubt, but any time somebody makes a blanket statement like that, it shows a basic LACK of understanding of the principles involved.
drjim
Thanks for your comments.
I live in Hotlanta. My roof is dark. Increased attic insulation caused cooling bill to go down. But lets look at it in the converse. The winter months would cause heat to be reflected from the house thus making heating bill to rise! But the overall premise of painting it white falls flat.
Oh, I agree about certain areas where a white roof could cause winter expenses to rise, as in my comment about Minnesota. Here in L.A., and I suspect other areas like Phoenix, a *lighter colored* roof can make a summertime difference.
And insulation is a win-win, always! Getting the heated air out of the attic, like with proper ventilation up there, also helps a lot. One of the things we did at the girlfriends house when we re-roofed it was to replace the ventilator fan with one that's thermostatically controlled. I wanted to insulate up there, but she didn't want the added cost.
My point was that he made a broad blanket statement, and those are real good ways to make yourself look like a fool.
Congrats again on your son. Mine's in his third year at college, and thinking about going out in the world to make his way.
drjim
FOOLISH! Yes!
Thanks for the congrats on my son.
Sounds like a politician on Prozac to me. Totally out of touch. Were you being sarcastic? I have never recycled. That is so crazy. I wonder where these people come up with this nonsense. That was too funny, just like the liberals. Listening to them sometimes I wonder if they really hear themselves. LORL
CLNO
No they don't listen to themselves or they would see that many of the drastic ideas they espouse just do not make sense. Man-made Global warming...what a load of crap.
It has allowed Al Bore to make a living though selling fear among the idiots that think they can buy offsets for their "carbon footprint".
I'm neither a scientiat or engineer but roofs should have an 'air space' for the purpose of heating/cooling and the living space of the home. Often refers to an attic. Insulation is important but it goes directly above the ceiling area, then the 'attic' or air space area, then the roof. The only thing I know that can help with the heat/cool thing (other then insulation) would be to add an attic type fan (usually found in exterior area near gable) that turns on automatically when there's a build up of of hot air and helps tremendously. So the white roof doesn't impact anything except maybe a boost in eye ware sales :D
The only expert that contributed (Steven Chu) is just full of el crapo. He's far from ignorant or stupid though. So, he obviously has an agenda. He'd do us all a favor by coming up with a 'fan' to deal with his hot air.
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