| Like it or not, we are living in a world gone "green." | | | | living in a house of mirrors. |
| Carbon footprint, glacial melting, carbon offsets, all | | | | Once upon a time I decided to paint my bathroom |
| buzzwords that would have generated a blank stare | | | | sky blue. It was a tiny bathroom in a 100-year-old |
| from the average American as recently as ten years | | | | apartment building. A tropical themed shower curtain |
| ago. Bob Dylan said it best, the times, they are a | | | | and a few sea shells later and my room had morphed |
| changing. Today green lingo has become indelibly | | | | into a seaside resort. Every shower was a mini |
| ingrained into our collective vernacular; but no matter | | | | vacation to Cozumel. The point being, color can have |
| where you stand on the issue of global warming | | | | a psychological effect on our moods and behaviors. |
| there is a shade green that we can all agree on, that | | | | Colors such as red, orange and yellow may make us |
| is the color of the good old fashioned greenback. You | | | | feel warmer than we are. If we feel warm we may |
| may not know it, but there are a number of | | | | be less inclined to turn up the thermostat (take heed |
| surprising ways that the right paint job can save cash | | | | Minnesotans). If you're living a warmer climate pick a |
| and energy. | | | | color that gives you a cooler feel to lessen your use |
| Color | | | | of the air conditioner. |
| One of the big topics lately is painting your roof | | | | Insulation |
| white. Steven Chu, the US Secretary of Energy has | | | | Before your home is painted, you can take several |
| said that making roofs white or light colored would | | | | steps toward improving the energy efficiency of |
| help reduce global warming by conserving energy and | | | | your home. Windows, interior moldings and exterior |
| reflecting sunlight back into space. Steven stated that | | | | trim can all be caulked to help prevent air and other |
| this simple act of painting your roof white can reduce | | | | elements from invading your home. |
| your electricity consumption by 10-15%. This can | | | | There are also a variety of products such as |
| cause you to run your air conditioner less in the | | | | Sherwin-Williams E-Barrier Reflective Coating which |
| Summer and actually helps trap heat in the house in | | | | are designed to reduce your energy bill. E-Barrier is |
| the Winter. Steven even went so far as to say that | | | | formulated with microscopic metal particles that, |
| if all of the roofs were painted white, this would be | | | | when used to coat the underside of attics and roof |
| the equivalent of taking all of the worlds cars off the | | | | deckings, can reflect energy from the sun in the |
| roads for 11 years. That's pretty significant. | | | | summer keeping your home cool and trap the energy |
| Interior paint colors can make a big difference as well. | | | | from your heating system in the winter keeping your |
| Scientifically speaking (in a really dumbed down way), | | | | home warm. |
| the lighter the color of paint the more light that will | | | | The next wave of energy efficiency may come |
| be reflected by that paint. A light colored paint will | | | | from cutting edge ceramic based additives produced |
| accentuate the rooms natural lighting making the | | | | by companies such as Insuladd and Hy-Tech. These |
| room appear bigger and brighter. This in turn will | | | | additives can be mixed with paint and are purported |
| decrease the need for artificial lighting thereby | | | | to cut energy costs dramatically. These additives are |
| lowering the amount of electricity you consume. | | | | based on technology designed by NASA to protect |
| Finishes also can help reflect light. The glossier the | | | | space shuttle tiles. Though, not yet used on a |
| finish, the more light that will be reflected, but be | | | | mainstream scale, these additives may be the future |
| cautious, too much gloss and you may feel like you're | | | | of energy efficient paints. |