Go green by painting your building roof white

Sandeep Ashar, TNN Jul 25, 2011, 04.10am IST

MUMBAI: The state government wants to promote 'cool roofs' to conserve energy.
A 'cool roof' is one treated with a coating to reduce the amount of absorbed solar radiation and heat. In general, these coatings are white or light-coloured. The term is also used to describe roof tiles that show similar properties. Research suggests that such roofs are more reflective that the conventional ones.
Conventional roofs (dark-coloured roofs) absorb heat instead of reflecting it. This raises the temperature of the roof during hot weather. The heat is also transmitted to the living quarters below, forcing many to switch on air conditioners.
By reflecting heat, a cool roof significantly minimizes such heat transfer, leading to savings on your AC bill. This, in turn, reduces carbon emissions and helps in promoting a cooler and a greener planet.
The state environment department has tied up with Dr Jayant Sathaye, a director with the International Energy Group of the renowned California-based and renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. that has published research papers.
Valsa Nair Singh, secretary, environment department, said, "Models used in Delhi and Hyderabad, where the concept has already been introduced, are being examined." In Delhi, the government has modified building norms to make "cool roofs" a mandatory norm in new buildings. On completion of the ongoing study, the state urban development (UD) department could be asked to check the feasibility of similarly introducing similar changes in development control norms.
To promote the concept, Delhi first introduced the concept in government buildings. The US was the first to endorse the concept. With President Barack Obama advocating it strongly, the concept has gained tremendous ground within the States and is now trending in other developed and developing countries. Rebates in taxes were offered to popularize the concept in some parts of the US.
To bring down carbon emissions and slow down global warming effects, the state has been promoting use of green and environment-friendly building construction materials. Interestingly, the California research laboratory had also suggested use of light-coloured pavement tiles to reduce carbon emissions. However, state officials said that this was not being considered at this stage.