Sometimes it can seem like environmentally friendly technology is out of reach. Solar cells have to be fabricated in high tech labs and assembled by skilled technicians. Methane or hydrogen production can require sophisticated equipment that has to be maintained by knowledgeable hands.
The truth is though that many of the most effective green technologies are as old as civilization. These are the “passive” energy savings that can be easily obtained by simply landscaping and decorating your house in an efficient manner.
Energy Efficiency from the Rooftop
The area of the home that absorbs the most energy is the roof. Lots of insulation is needed to keep this energy from transferring as heat into the home. Worse yet, even properly insulated the roof heats up and then stores that energy to be released later contributing to local temperature increases.
There is a simple solution to this problem. You don’t have to worry about heat which is reflected rather than absorbed. By having a light colored roof, you are reflecting more of the sun’s energy than a darker roof would. This can help you to offset the cost of air conditioning in the summer, which is one of the biggest energy drains a home can have.
Care needs to be taken in cooler climates though. The heat from the sun is a valuable resource during cold winters, and can help to eliminate or offset part of the need for energy consumption from other non-renewable resources.
So when building a home, or re-shingling the roof, make sure you take the climate and energy needs of your home into account when deciding on the color of your roof!