Technology Tuesdays: Is Snow the Answer to Our Air Conditioning Problem?

Hello Partners!

The race to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change is on and it is driving a lot of innovation. One of the greatest attributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is air conditioning. Air conditioning is one of the great conundrums of our time because the effects of climate change cause us to use more air conditioning to cool us off. Adversely, the more air conditioning we use, the more we negatively affect the climate.

It is safe to say that air conditioning is not going anywhere because, without it, a large portion of the population would be susceptible to heat-related illness and even death. Therefore, recent innovation has not been an effort to do away with air conditioning but to reduce how much we have to depend on it.

Super reflective building coating material (SRBCM) is largely the same concept as cool roofs, which we have discussed before. However, SRBCM is much more sophisticated than a simple, yet still effective, coat of white paint. SRBCM uses the scientific principles of snow. Snow is highly reflective because it contains micron-sized crystals of ice which create pockets of air. These teeny tiny pockets of air reflect light which is why snow appears white instead of clear like ice. This same concept has been applied to SRBCM to make buildings reflect light instead of absorbing it along with its residual heat. This coating can be applied by itself, or it can be mixed in with paint however, it is much more effective when applied by itself.

SRBCM is not the answer to all of the issues surrounding air conditioning, but it can be added to our arsenal of energy efficiency measures. The most effective approach to reducing air conditioning load in buildings without sacrificing comfort is a multi-pronged one which includes measures such as SRBCM, ceiling and wall insulation, window shading, cool roofs and controls.

The savings never stop!

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Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90242399/this-super-reflective-coating-keeps-buildings-cool-so-we-dont-need-as-much-ac?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com