Environment

Can White Rooftops Save Money AND The Planet? (Bill Clinton Says Yes)

“Hot enough for ya?”

As most of the country was locked under a heat dome, former President Bill Clinton was suggesting that big cities (or any place with a flat, dark-colored roof) could reduce the temperature inside buildings, saving money, and possibly the planet, just by painting the roof tops white.

White roofs save money

From Clinton’s Newsweek piece titled, “It’s Still The Economy, Stupid”

Every black roof in New York should be white; every roof in Chicago should be white; every roof in Little Rock should be white. Every flat tar-surface roof anywhere! In most of these places you could recover the cost of the paint and the labor in a week. It’s the quickest, cheapest thing you can do.

This very simple idea is also not a new one. Back in 2009, CNN reported that Energy Secretary Steven Chu was pushing for white roofs and white roads, claiming that the benefit to the environment would be massive.

Whiten­ing the world’s roofs and roads would have the same effect on global warm­ing as remov­ing all the world’s cars for 11 years.

The Energy Secretary supports this claim with research from Arthur Rosenfield of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and as CNN reported,  Chu points out three benefits of white roofs and roads:

  • It keeps buildings cooler, reducing the amount of energy required for air conditioning.
  • It reduces the so-call “heat island” effect, the heating up of entire urban areas which then causes other buildings in the vicinity to heat up, whether they are in direct contact with the sun or not.
  • A white roof or road will actually reflect the sun’s rays back into space, keeping the atmosphere cooler.
Should You Paint The Roof White?

In this Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010 photo, James Peterson with Bio Neighbors, applies a coating of Acrymax to the roof of a row home in Philadelphia. The idea of painting roofs white has become something of a social movement, one that Energy Secretary (and Nobel Prize-winning physicist) Steven Chu believes could be a huge help in stopping global warming. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg is also a supporter of the idea. His administration launched NYC Cool Roofs, a project that claims to have painted/cooled over 1.5 million square feet of rooftops in the Big Apple.

Many stories on the white roof idea claim the energy savings could be substantial, reducing cooling costs by as much as 20%. And while the thought of painting a tarred rooftop on a hot day like today makes even strong men shudder, the prospect of cutting 20% off monthly electric bills might be incentive enough. You can always paint at night, right?

H/T Good.is

Comments (338)

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  • raderby
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:37pm

    point 3, reflect “sun’s rays” back into space – you mean infra-red energy? yeah….. kind of….. unless there is any cloud cover or dense water vapor or other things in the atmos.. POINT IS, who made the-guy-who-couldn’t-keep-it-in-his-pants the chief scientist and heat modelling advisor to the world? – to paraphrase the MSNBC types – “does Billy Boy have a degree in physics? Meteorology? Thermal dynamics? short answer: no. He is incorrectly stating science and advancing politics…as usual.

    Report Post » raderby  
    • Meyvn
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 6:53am

      There goes a Lib out-thinking themselves again. In the winter in most states you would want a black/dark roof. (eye roll)

      Report Post » Meyvn  
    • USAqh
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:00am

      Perhaps Billy Boy owns stock in this Japanese paint company … their product is AMAZING …

      http://www.sci-paint.jp/en/products/supra/index.html

      Report Post » USAqh  
    • wahamilton87
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:22am

      Global warming is nothing but a hoax. Now, if this idea actually does make a building cooler inside, then why not try it? Instead of paint why not a large tarp like covering like they use on ball fields? That would make more sense because you could remove it when the temperature falls and expose the black roof. There are some ideas that are being pushed out of the way because we have 2 sides that are so pissed off at each other right now they can’t stand it, and that is just as bad for this country as Obama’s agenda. Those of us that still have some sense ought to be focused on getting our ducks in a row instead of being distracted by the ugly one in the WHITE House.

      Report Post »  
    • love the kids
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:43am

      Amazing how stupid an individual can be, and then by lying to people, they believe him.
      Let’s use a little common sense here, if the roof was white for about 3 months a year in NY, this may cut down on AC usage. However, since NY’s average mean temp is WAY BELOW 68 degrees, the other 9 months would require more energy consumption to maintain adequate living conditions. So by their reasoning, a white roof on average in NY will ADD to pollution in the air. It really aggrivates me when people who have no facts come out and talk like they know something.
      How come no reporter came out and asked him if he has a degree in science like the reporter who asked the Republican congressmsn if he had a degree in economics, which he did.

      Report Post »  
    • drphil69
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 1:21pm

      rotflmao – the earth is not warming, so “global warming” becomes “global climate change” – but painting our roofs white will fix global warming…which is not occurring… does that mean it will also fix global climate change?

      when the science is false, there is no way cover it up without tripping over your own explanations…

      Report Post »  
    • old white guy
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 2:41pm

      it would actually save you a couple if bucks. the physics prove it or is it the chemistry?? doesn’t matter, white reflects light black absorbs light. white will be cooler black warmer. it is a fact but it will not change the planet might help your house.

      Report Post »  
    • mikelivi
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 2:53pm

      What about winter? Black roofs bring heat into the home or building. If you’re in chicago or boston or up in Maine you do not want a white roof. Typical shoot from the hip lib bull! Its summer and a heat wave so lets get this white roof crap some legs. So I’ll say it again. WHAT ABOUT WINTER IN THE NORTHEAST!!!!!!!?????????????/

      Report Post »  
    • Hollywood
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 5:42pm

      Maybe be we need to paint CIGAR MAN! OOPS sorry, I meant tar[and feather]

      Report Post » Hollywood  
    • evaluator
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 7:16pm

      And dispite all of that, which is all true, Billy is making a statement that some will consider racist!!

      Report Post »  
    • lordvarion
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 8:24pm

      Another has been ******* trying to make a buck. Ten to one says he has a few stocks in paint. If he comes out tomorrow endorsing a particular company, yeah, then we’ll know his true motive. He cracks me up. What a dolt. Guess he thinks if his ole buddy Al can swindle the left who blindly follow, so can he.

      Report Post »  
    • JRuss
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 11:26pm

      For a roof to look white, it MUST reflect at least 95% of the red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet light. Obviously, this reflected energy is not absorbed and therefore is not turned into heat. That is why my family car is white, and the roof on my house is a light color. It may surprise you to know that a black roof [in the infrared] will radiate more heat then a roof that is ‘white’ in the infrared spectrum. Thus, a roof that reflects infrared will help keep a house warm at night. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend a thick layer of good insulation.

      Report Post » JRuss  
    • Mil-Dot
      Posted on July 26, 2011 at 2:15pm

      @Radarby
      You need to go to school and get an education before you spout off your mouth with that nonsense. A white body reflects light, a black body converts it into heat. Clinton is correct. I can’t stand him, but he is right on this one. Basic physics. And by the way, it is “thermodynamics” not “thermal dynamics”.

      Report Post »  
    • Anteraan
      Posted on July 27, 2011 at 11:34am

      Mevyn is 100% correct. Considering that it costs 2-3x as much to heat a home as it does to cool a home, those in northern climates would use less “polluting energy” over the course of a year if they painted their homes and roofs dark colors.

      This Chu guy claims to be a scientist? He certainly isn’t a thinker.

      Report Post »  
  • simplygilly
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:33pm

    Aha, but black roofs in cooler-colder months reduce cost of heating.

    Report Post » simplygilly  
    • BSdetector
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:41pm

      Why is Bill so racist? Hey Al, Jesse, and you other race baiters, let’s get this racist, rich, white guy!

      Report Post » BSdetector  
    • Phoenixsoulfire
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:44pm

      That doesn’t matter because when the snow is on your roof it insolates it, but white roads Billy boy? Come on we would be blinded! But that would fit right into Cast Sunstiens theory about smaller population because there would be a lot of accidents that would kill people

      Report Post »  
    • randy
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:56pm

      Progressive Liberals, just like Muslims, are a cancer

      Report Post » randy  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:57pm

      Indeed, Mr Clinton is just desperate to get back into the limelight once again — must be jealousy of Hillary.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Speed Racer
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:57pm

      @Bsdetector

      I thought pretty much the same thing when I saw the headline. “Wow, I would love to see the reactions if someone on the right said something like that.” At any rate, I still think all of this hullabaloo about global warming is absolutely retarded.

      Report Post » Speed Racer  
    • BigDaddyRamFrog
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 1:38pm

      Bill Clinton – global warming expert??? Really scary!!!

      Report Post »  
    • Alucard
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 1:44pm

      Exactly, I’m getting so sick of these idiots always thinking that one size fits all for everything. A white roof in MN would cost more to heat and you would probably end up with more roof’s collapsing due to the lack of melting from the white roof. Because their theories keep failing to prove Global Warming they keep tring new ways to spin it or new ways to distract from the base argument. Problem is the more they go down the road of lies the dumber their excuses have to get. I’m sorry but the wheels have fallen off this bus.

      Report Post »  
    • the hawk
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 2:26pm

      bLACK ROOFS up here in WI are white all winter anyway from Dec 5th–April 5th.

      Report Post »  
    • Bum thrower
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:22pm

      Who cares? Monica, bring Bill a cigar.

      Report Post »  
    • Viet Vet
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:26pm

      But if you can convine people of this hoax, scare people, what a great way to control people and curb freedom. MIght even convince them that the situation is soooo dire, that it will take ‘World Government’ to combat it. The UN would love that.

      Strobe Talbot, while in Klinton’s administration advocated One World Government. And when asked by the press what Klinton stood for, a deputy press secretary (I forget which one now) said: One World Government.

      Report Post »  
    • the hawk
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:37pm

      Not at my house in WI the roof is white from Dec till april…………..

      Report Post »  
    • gotta light
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:43pm

      Paint it white?!?!?!?!?!?!?

      Did Bill just play the race card? ROTFLOL!!!!!”

      Hey bud gotta light?

      Report Post » gotta light  
    • chazman
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:55pm

      Hey Bill, you think my roof should be painted white? OK, you do it with your money. Just you, Bill. Paid for with a check from your personal checking account. And then you get to work. No one is allowed to help you paint my roof, Bill. You have to do it on your own … you piece of crap!

      Report Post »  
    • lindathepatriot
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 4:00pm

      I am getting a new roof on my house and I am going to get dark shingles just because I can.

      Report Post »  
    • Milton Recht
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 4:43pm

      In cooler months, there is less daylight and more cloud cover so there is a net year round benefit to white rooftops.

      Report Post »  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 5:11pm

      That is correct, and black roads reduce time and cost of snow removal, usuallyf the first hour of snowfall melts. He’s part right, but each building and municipality should make the call based on the relative severity of their summers and winters. Phoenixsoulfire is correct about the insulating quality of snow, but there are many parts of the country where it’s cold enough to require heating all winter, but there’s only enough snow to stick to the roof for a couple weeks. And the snow melted by the black roofs can prevent deadly roof collapses in flat-roofed urban buildings of the type seen in the pictures above.

      Report Post »  
    • HisNameWasRobertPaulson
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 5:55pm

      Concrete. It is much cooler than blacktop for roads, and when build properly, last much longer. We don’t need to paint roads, just build them with cooler materials.

      Report Post »  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 6:28pm

      exactly, we have more colder months than warmer months in the north, which is why we choose black. i got an idea.. why not let it be a choice? if it really does save money in the north, then hey, people will do it on their own without any force. which brings me to an even better idea, how about leading by example and not by force?

      Report Post »  
    • turkey13
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 6:34pm

      Come on folks – I think Bill just solved the unemployment problem. Put all the unemployed to work painting roofs now and this winter paint them back black to warm your house. All the paint companys will also have to hire millions of people and work 24/7 to keep up with demand. Sounds like a great plan and can increase the union rolls at the same time.

      Report Post »  
    • tradexpertbuysell
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 6:37pm

      Progressives are good at making usefull suggestions. But I remember my mommy telling me to never take candy from strangers, and run to tell the police.

      Too bad there isn’t a police agency to report Progressive Politicians to. Starting with Obama and Clinton.

      Report Post »  
    • VegasGuy
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 7:22pm

      @PHOENIXSOULFIRE

      “That doesn’t matter because when the snow is on your roof it insolates it…”

      The desert southwest gets freezing temps in the winter and no snow. Houses and businesses need heat so the white roofs would be counterproductive.

      Report Post » VegasGuy  
    • Hula Calhoun
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 8:17pm

      Bill is just helping Obama make an excuse as to why Barry never put the solar panels he promised onto the roof of the White House. “Oh, the WH roof is white! We don’t need the solar panels after all!”

      Report Post » Hula Calhoun  
    • Cobra Blue
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 8:47pm

      Sure Bill…you paint yours first. I think its called leading by example.

      Report Post »  
    • jhaydeng
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 8:55pm

      It’s a catch 22! White roofs in the Summer are cooler( I had one) and black roofs are better for the Winter to heat up from solar radiation (I have one now). How about someone invent an interchangeable roof coloring kit? Wait a minute! It’s called a tarp!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • jzs
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 9:07pm

      Good point simplygilly. I do wonder if it nets out the same. It may depend on lattitude and average sunshine. In the south, probably a good idea, in the north, maybe not so much.

      Report Post » jzs  
    • random357
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 9:29pm

      I never believed klinton before, and I don’t believe klinton now.

      Report Post » random357  
    • bulletsinthegun
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 9:58pm

      Bill, you are an idiot, there is no cure stupid and you are stupid.

      Report Post » bulletsinthegun  
    • skilois
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 9:59pm

      How true………by the way be sure to keep your tires aired up to keep Osama… oops I mean Obama happy.

      Report Post »  
    • thelonious
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 1:32am

      I hear less complaining from my 2 toddlers. You Blaze loyalists fetishize the art of commie/green/progressive bashing. Your grandkids will be embarrassed by your comments. @ Randy, calm down, your post outed you as very intolerant. Don‘t worry you don’t hate muslims, it’s all internal.

      Report Post »  
    • thelonious
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 1:37am

      @Linda,.. that’s not very patriotic. Oh wait, I get it… the 2008 Tea party revolution patriotasm to save America is ironic, you actually don’t care about other people because you flipped your switch in college reading Ayn Rand.

      Report Post »  
    • Hollywood
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 5:56pm

      I’m personally SICK to DEATH of the whole argument re Climate Change, Climate change is an ABSOLUTE TRUTH! Undeniable. The Data backs me up. I was sitting out back,nice and toasty 85+ one day. Next day 48 Degrees, and freezing my Pituti off. Less than 12 hrs.!! DON‘T TRY to tell me Climate Change isn’t real! I see the climate changing ALL the time. HONEST people HAVE to agree.
      Most would call rightly call them SEASONS though. What ever happened to GLOBAL warming though. Seems like the U.N.,East Anglia,GORE,Maurice Strong,etc., realized THAT term wasn’t carrying the day!

      Report Post » Hollywood  
  • NOBALONEY
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:33pm

    Bill’s got to much time on his hands lately. Hillary is globe trotting and bill’s coming up with supporting the eviormentalists wanting white roofs on buildings, and his recommending that Preisdent Obama use the 14 th amendment to end the impasse on the debt ceiling debate. Perhaps an executive order, or maybe declaring a national emergency? With Hillary calling Assad, Saleh, and Quaddaffi all illegitimate, and Bill telling Obama what he should do. Whose running our domestic and foreign policies?

    Report Post » NOBALONEY  
    • Viet Vet
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:54pm

      “and his recommending that Preisdent Obama use the 14 th amendment to end the impasse on the debt ceiling debate.”

      Another glaring example of how little respect leftists have for the U.S. Constitution.

      Report Post »  
    • cosette
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 4:08pm

      I think it’s a riot! Bill gets to write op eds’ on irrelevant issues while Hillary”s off glob trotting. In his spare he plays hide the cigar with his 20 something hotties! LOL. Liberals= comic relief!

      Report Post »  
  • TheCenturion
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:32pm

    Yep, white roofs will obviously save money, but it’s NOT for the government to mandate!!!! BUTT OUT BILLY!!

    Why do all the lib ex-presidents hang around forever spewing their lunacy?

    I don’t hear H.W. or W. spouting off like these loud mouth communists.

    Report Post »  
    • Viet Vet
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:44pm

      That’s because H.W. and W. are pro-Americans. The leftists rats are all anti-American, and their thirst for changing the country to a socialist/marxist system is unquenchable. Aside from that, they have no class either.

      Report Post »  
  • nptden
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:32pm

    Then they will tell us in the winter to paint them Black to draw the heat. We can safe a lot more eliminating 60% of bureaucratic jobs. Will save more electricity. Most of them do nothing but google all day.

    Report Post » nptden  
  • 13th Imam
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:32pm

    After walking around Inner Harbor ,Baltimore the last few days, the white concrete was perceptibly cooler than the blacktop streets. The concrete was 109* and the blacktop was 110*. It was a balmy in the shade at 108*. the humidity was about 68%,
    Thanks Bill all those Lewinski’s turned you into Al Gore

    Report Post » 13th Imam  
  • artmonster1204
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:31pm

    Sorry but white roofs DON’T work. I live in Tucson and we have a white roof.. Our AC went out this week and even with a white roof, The temperature in our living room was 96 degrees. The exterior walls were very warm to the touch because they were absorbing the heat of the sun and radiating it in to the house. As for saving the planet, the only thing our white roof was doing was sitting on top of the house. There was no planet saving, no crime fighting, No helping little old ladies cross the street,nothing. Maybe we just have a lazy roof.

    Report Post »  
    • Secessionista
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 1:27pm

      Sounds like you have a LIBERAL roof. Here’s hoping you get out from under yours and the rest of us get out from under ours in 2012.

      Report Post » Secessionista  
  • Buttercup
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:30pm

    We have a white roof. It’s still hotter than heck on our third floor! But here’s an idea for cities or flat roofs — somehow plant green trees (in planters?) or put down sod. No, I’m serious. Trees provide shade. It can cool a house by at least 20 degrees. Also, they make oxygen by way of photosynthesis. All that cement and blacktop is probably the real reason for “global warming.” If you cut a tree down in one place, plant another someplace else. It’s sickening to see all these strip malls where there was once farmland or woodlands.

    Report Post »  
    • sWampy
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:38pm

      We do plant new trees, there are over twice as many trees in the us now than were here when white man first landed, it’s not the trees or blacktop that will cause problems, it’s the same thing that always has over population in large cites, a problem that requires education, not reverting to 3rd world lifestyles.

      Report Post »  
    • dawi
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:42pm

      I agree.

      And another point, in New York, doesn’t the dark roof save heating during the winter?

      Report Post »  
    • aircommando
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 2:31pm

      Swampy,
      Could you provide proof that there are more trees now. Your statement is wrong.
      http://www.gcrio.org/CONSEQUENCES/spring95/Land.html
      From an estimated 900 million acres in 1850, the wooded area of the entire U.S. reached a low point of 600 million acres around 1920 (Fig. 1). It then rose slowly through the postwar decades, largely through abandonment of cropland and regrowth on cutover areas, but around 1960 began again a modest decline, the result of settlement expansion and of higher rates of timber extraction through mechanization. The agricultural censuses recorded a drop of 17 million acres in U.S. forest cover between 1970 and 1987 (though data uncertainties and the small size of the changes relative to the total forest area make a precise dating of the reversals difficult). At the same time, if the U.S. forests have been shrinking in area they have been growing in density and volume.

      Report Post » aircommando  
    • busterpuddles
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:37pm

      I don’t think SWAMPY gets it. Trees on the rooftops is the idea. I thought some buildings already had something like that. It’s a good idea, though there will have to be some thinking involved in the construction.

      Report Post » busterpuddles  
    • Viet Vet
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:47pm

      That’s true Swampy, there are more forested acres today than 100 years ago.

      Report Post »  
    • Viet Vet
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:51pm

      It’s worth noting that places like the Rocky Mountains, which are very forested today, were interspersed with alot of prairie in previous centuries, due to unchecked fires.

      Report Post »  
    • turkey13
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 2:48pm

      You have a point there about the blacktop absorbing all that heat in town. There is also another problem in town and it is all those houses cramped together. My cars thermominter is pretty accurate and I see a drop of 3 degrees when I pull into my driveway out here in the boonies where it is just my house, trees and grass.

      Report Post »  
  • tobywil2
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:30pm

    Mr. Clinton’s statement about roof tops is simply another ploy to promote the fraudulent global warming issure. He maybe talking about roof tops but the basic premise of the message is that we must destroy our standard of living and distribute our wealth to 3rd world countries to avoid catastrophic climate change. http://commonsense21c.com/

    Report Post » tobywil2  
  • seeker9
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:27pm

    Wait! In the winter won’t it increase heating costs because too much heat is being reflected?

    Report Post » seeker9  
    • YesNdeedie
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:38pm

      Ah, I think you have placed more thought into this white roof thing than Billy did.
      With these progressives if you get any truth at all one could only hope for half truth.

      Forget the roof, install insulation.
      I am not one that believes any argument regarding the global warming scam, except it is not man made, but I firmly believe in saving money. Without a doubt, I have recovered the cost of installation many times.

      Report Post »  
    • wildbill_b
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:50pm

      No. That is because the heat is not being radiated BY the roof, but rather contained within the Insulated area of the building. That is why today they are using “urethane” insulation and making the attic part of the interior. This extends the life of shingles due to lack of heat UNDER the roof as well as stopping heat/cooling loss due to thermal radiation.
      It is great stuff although the initial cost is higher than glass insulation.
      Peace

      Report Post »  
    • seeker9
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:51pm

      Yeah. Funny how this seasonal climate change works… hot in summer and cold in the winter. But the Progs will make it 72 all year long.

      Report Post » seeker9  
    • tobywil2
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:12pm

      YOU JUST PAINT IT BLACK IN THE FALL! http://commonsense21c.com/

      Report Post » tobywil2  
    • seeker9
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 6:11pm

      You are not going to find me painting my roof twice a year! If this catches on I will invest in PPG (TitaniumDioxide I think is used for white paint) or related companies. I am an evil capitalist pig!

      Report Post » seeker9  
  • John 1776
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:27pm

    Well, white roof tops can save money. I don’t know about the planet, that’s a bit of a stretch. No need for some “special” crew to come out. If you have a flat roof, just paint the sucker yourself!

    Report Post » John 1776  
    • TGooberPea
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:35pm

      And while they’re at it, all of the road surfaces should be painted white. And the lava coming out of the active (and inactive for that matter) should immediately be painted white to reflect the sun’s heat.

      Report Post »  
  • Gr8ful1jim
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:26pm

    I read Congress is drafting a law that all roofs in the USA must be White by 2025. That is all residential and commercial roofs.

    Report Post » Gr8ful1jim  
    • Pujols
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:29pm

      Back in the early 70′s when it was really cold for 2 or 3 years. The Smartest of them all wanted to shread ‘Black Rubber Tires’ and put them all over the North and South poles just to warm it up some. Now that was as Dumb as it gets.

      Report Post »  
    • John 1776
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 2:19pm

      And the law will probably require you to use only union labor to do the painting. It’s never as simple as it first sounds…. Always an agenda.

      Report Post » John 1776  
  • cookcountypatriot
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:25pm

    great ..im a roofer and need work…roofs are very expensive to replace and maintain…im all for it as long as its not some tax payer funded progressive program..problem with progresssives is all thier ideas require the tax payers money..willy needs a cigar a pizza and a young progressive in a blue dress,,them maybe he will go away

    Report Post » cookcountypatriot  
    • flyoverbob
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:30pm

      So who do you think will pay for the non worker who gets everything free ?

      Report Post »  
  • GJ3
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:23pm

    Just one main point to help clear this up. What color are the leaves on most trees? Green. Not white. If they really want to help reduce city heat then plant shade trees in large asphalt areas.

    Report Post »  
  • sWampy
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:23pm

    Keep buildings cooler in the summer, and colder in the winter. a proper attic and proper vents, the roof color makes almost no difference on the amount of energy needed to heat/cool. At least with the dark roofs you can use them to warm water, and save some energy that way. White roofs will have to be constantly cleaned wasting water and energy or they won’t remain white.

    Report Post »  
  • Weiners Wiener
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:23pm

    Bill Clinton should shut his mouth and let the free citizens of America pay as much as they’re willing to on their energy bills.

    Report Post »  
    • Sparky101
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:31pm

      Bill has as hard a time shutting his mouth as he does keeping his zipper zipped, so good luck on that.

      While you might have a cooler home in the Summer, you will also have a cooler house in the Winter. So, unless you paint your roof white in Summer and then black for the Winter, you’ve really not done much in most areas. If your Winters are cold and long, that white roof will kill your budget, taking all your Summer savings and more.

      Report Post »  
    • fatjack
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:44pm

      Sparky101
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:31pm

      Bill has as hard a time shutting his mouth as he does keeping his zipper zipped, so good luck on that.
      ==================================================================

      Very true, but show me a d‘rat that doesn’t try to rule the world with his mouth.

      Report Post » fatjack  
    • Lucy Larue
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 4:55pm

      WEINERS WIENER,
      AfreakingMEN!
      CHEEZUS!, Enough already with the asinine “WHITE ROOF” brainstorm! It’s disgusting.
      Here we have a past President whom you would think could become a sage advisor to aid us in our Country’s time of crisis. He would perhaps,for once, think Country NOT Party…,. NAH!, NOPE!,NON! and NO!
      He is a failed President. The military was decimated under his watch. He ignored islamofascism. His hubris knows no bounds.
      I do not think that HISTORY will be kind to the Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton.

      Get a hobby Bill. Please….,make eco-friendly birdhouses or something.
      You’re making “JIMMAH”Carter look good! UGH!

      Report Post »  
  • jagr1850
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:22pm

    better double check with al gore before we make a move on this idea…

    Report Post » jagr1850  
  • psadie
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:22pm

    Right and who is paying for the immense cost of doing this? Yeah, the American taxpayer who is already stretched to their limits!

    Report Post »  
  • FORLORNHOPE
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:21pm

    I drive a white car you can fry an egg on it and cook a pork shoulder in the front seat.

    Report Post »  
  • CanteenBoy
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:21pm

    See, once again: Black is bad, White is good… real subtle, willy.

    Report Post » CanteenBoy  
    • Pujols
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:23pm

      Of course it does. Us dumb Hillbillies in ‘Fly over Country’ “Been doing it for years.”

      Report Post »  
    • Pujols
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:25pm

      Have you noticed Jimmy ‘The Peanut Head’ has stopped talking because Obama is worse than Him so He is at peace, but Sick Willie knows History might not be as nice to Him as it was going to be to Jimbo. Jimbo is just an Anti-Simite and Sick Willie is well, SICK WILLIE!

      Report Post »  
  • tmkphx1962
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:20pm

    This is a bunch of BS. We are having a heat wave. Even the most vocal greenies admit that the Earth has not warmed in ten years.

    Report Post »  
  • endgamer
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:18pm

    Bill finally got something right!! A green agenda that puts green in YOUR wallet! Yes a white roof saves lots of money! I live in Florida and we installed a white roof over our black tar roof.. ( ours was flat ) and it dropped our electric bill 25%! we also added thermal pane windows and the heat difference indoors is huge.

    Report Post » endgamer  
    • Under God Amen
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:35pm

      Ok what happens in the winter in the north? The houses will be colder because you‘re blocking the sun’s rays causing higher heating bills. Unintended consequences is the unwritten rule in Washington, DC. Maybe we should repaint them in the winter too. These people are idiots; no they’re following their agenda to control every aspect of our lives. Freedom, Freedom, Freedom from Washington is what we need.

      Report Post » Under God Amen  
    • Rational Man
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:54pm

      If you installed thermal pane windows, then how can you say that it was the white roof that you ‘claim’ saved you 25%.
      Are you Monica Lewinsky?

      Report Post » Rational Man  
    • UlyssesP
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 2:39pm

      I agree with the cost savings. Have the same here in So. Fl., not pure white but white enough and definitely cuts down on power costs.
      I really couldn‘t care less about how my roof’s reflective or absorptive qualities affect the environment. It’s about the dollars.

      Report Post » UlyssesP  
    • endgamer
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 10:16pm

      Irrational Man The Roof was installed 6 months prior to the windows.. I am in Florida and it’s 90+ degrees from May Thru September. It has reduced our electric bill 25% We are waiting to see the results from the windows. I am on your side here and I’m tired of being attacked for saying something rational. White always reflects heat and black absorbs it..Common sense. In some areas of the country it may not be good in the winter but the proper types of insulation will keep the heat & cold IN the house. I stand with Glenn and I stand with Israel. My comments had nothing to do with Bill Clinton and had everything to do with SAVING some GREEN and nothing MORE! My Green Agenda has to do with earning saving and keeping more GREEN in my pocket. Some of you can F.O.

      Report Post » endgamer  
  • tasmanianwabbit
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:17pm

    Not a bad idea, that probably would help keep buildings cool. Trouble is, now these wackos will try to make it the law. Do it if you want to save money.

    Report Post »  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 6:39pm

      would be good for places like florida and souther california. not for the north…
      how about this, show us the figures on how much it has saved you over 10 years.

      white roads would blind every driver on the street, there is a term for it… ‘snow blinding’…
      make all the roads white.. watch accidents increase by 1000x. when have people stopped thinking past 1 step before they act on their “ideas”.

      lead by example, not by force.

      Report Post »  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:16pm

    Bill…This is the only time I agree with you….Any other time your head is filled with PIG SNOT!

    Report Post » banjarmon  
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