[Sherman Logan]

To all those making fun of this solution.

Don’t.

It works. I do building inspections, part of which is inspecting roofs and attics. Buildings in which the roof is more reflective don’t pick up nearly as much radiant heat as those that are less reflective. Radiant heat transfer is largely not stopped by insulation and is a major cause of discomfort even in air conditioned homes.

Every roof must be replaced every so often. What’s so terrible about picking a more-reflective material when you’re replacing it anyway? As a neat side benefit, dark roofs, because they get so much hotter, don’t last as long as more-reflective roofing materials.

Save money on energy, save money on roof maintenance and replacement, have a more comfortable building.

What’s wrong with that?

[Steve Van Doorn]

"What’s wrong with that?"

government legislation of accepted colors.

[SES1066]

I agree, it is just that when some of these suggestions are made, as is this one, as a UNIVERSAL action, rather than as a considered action based upon climate and conditions, the speaker(s) open themselves up for talk-back. The United States has citizens who live in Alaska as well as in the 'Sun Belt' yet when Dr. Chu says; “Yes, absolutely? White roofs everywhere, yes.”, he does not make any qualifications, does he?

A resident of Nome, Alaska, would probably not be wise to follow this advice. There are probably large areas in the lower 48 where the net heating season is longer and more costly than the need for cooling that would also find this a bad choice.

Is it too much to ask for a Ph.D and Cabinet Secretary of Energy to consider these factors in a sit-down interview? Or is he entirely motivated by predisposition to mitigation of human-caused global warming?