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BEAT THE HEAT
Mounting your air conditioner in the summer may seem like a good idea. But it's not a good idea for the planet or for your electricity bill.
Now, researchers at Columbia University have come up with an alternative to air conditioning that could keep your house cool without your energy bill being too high. It is a white polymer that reflects over 96% of sunlight and comes in paint, which means we can use it to cover the sides and roofs of our homes in order to keep cool when the sun is strongest. .
Small bubbles
The researchers describe the coating in an article published Thursday in the journal Science. To create it, they designed a mixture that forces water to settle in tiny droplets in a polymer. When these droplets evaporate, they leave tiny air holes behind them. According to the researchers, the holes give the coating its remarkable reflection property of sunlight.
The researchers put their preparation to the test under the oppressive heat of Phoenix, Arizona, and painted it on a copper foil attached to sensors to measure the temperature. After 30 minutes, they found that the coating was 10 degrees Fahrenheit colder than room temperature. This means that we may not have to wait long before we can throw things on our homes to avoid the heat of summer without starting AC power.
UNDER THE SUN
The world is just warming as we face the impacts of climate change, and until we switch to renewables, using electricity to cool our homes will only exacerbate the problem.
In addition, not everyone can use air conditioning – think of people in low-income areas or places without electricity – and for these people, this inexpensive and easy-to-implement way could literally save lives.
READ MORE: Keep things cool with a polymer that looks like paint [EurekAlert]
More about polymers: Unbreakable: Look at a vaporized polymer for objects to survive a 148-foot drop
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