White Roofs Save Energy

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2011/07/21/painting-bill-clinton%E2%80%99s-white-roofs-into-reality/

Former President Bill Clinton has pushed for an incredibly simply yet efficient way of saving energy and money across the globe, painting roofs white. Houses with white, solar reflective roofs can reflect up to 70% more sunlight than the traditional black tar roof. If the 11 largest metropolitan cities in the United States painted the roofs of their buildings white, 7 gigawatts of electricity would be saved, equal to the production of 14 power plants. The labor costs of painting roofs would be covered within the year. Legislation could be passed requiring that all roofs be painted in a solar reflective white and America could lead the way in a landmark environmental movement. The best part of this simple proposition is that there are practically no downfalls; the only thing that could be argued would be reduced house aesthetics or an issue of personal choice, a small pittance in comparison to the vast benefits. Personally, I am appalled that I had not heard about this proposition prior to reading this article and am surprised businesses aren’t already putting this into place to save money.