California98Civic -
We've always had white cars in my family going back to my Dad's 1960 Chevy Impala (not ours but close enough) :
My Dad's an engineer, and I am pretty sure he told me that he picks white for cooling reasons.
This is true of homes as well. Aesthetically most people wouldn't select white roofs, but they $ave a lot of money and degrade slower than traditional roofs. I remember driving out of Las Vegas one day and seeing a *WHITE* Spanish tile roof on a home. I just wanted to clap my hands.
More studies :
FSEC-CR-1220-00
Quote:
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In summary, this evaluation strongly confirms the energy-saving benefits of using more reflective roofing systems in Florida. Selection of colors with higher solar reflectance will result in tangible cooling energy savings for customers. This is particularly true for roofing materials such as tile and metal, which are currently available with solar reflectances of 65%-75% range. The selection of reflective roofing systems represents one of the most significant energy-saving options available to homeowners and builders. Such systems also strongly reduce the cooling demand during utility coincident peak periods and may be among the most effective methods for controlling demand.
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CarloSW2