Okay, sure, ideally your entire roof would be comprised of
solar tiles that would meet your entire house's energy demands and would also water your lawn and clean your gutters while they were up there. But, despite pledges of "affordability" something tells us it'll be awhile before your roof starts juicing your gadgets. This solution from MIT looks a little more practical -- and affordable. They're simply tiles that change color based on the temperature, Hypercolor style. In the cold they turn jet black, absorbing the sun's warmth and channeling that into the house. In heat they turn white, reflecting that same light and cutting down on cooling bills. Simple and smart. The MIT team calls the tech Thermeleon, and while early prototypes do change color as designed, it remains to be seen how durable the tech will be, and a leaky roof is no good regardless of how efficient. Asphalt shingles reign supreme for yet another year.
posted Oct 9th 2009 9:17AM
Why?
Um... RTFA?
Alex -> Article doesn't state what the estimated (quantifiable) benefits are. The engadget summary has all the info in it.
Black absorbs heat, white reflects heat... I think that was 5th or 6th grade science. Changes the thermal dynamics of that huge part of the house.
The biggest issue would be the big layer of insulation that goes right under the roof...
Becomes transparent over bedroom during activities to allow maximum heat dissapation. Oh wait...
or maximum viewing pleasure for snooping neighboor
It would be awesome if my roof tiles changed to white in the summer (to reflect excess heat) then black in winter to absorb heat from the sun.
We give a damn about the drama that your dude bring
I'm just tryin' to change the color on your mood roof
Kanye is still lame.
I know what you are trying to say and Ima let you finish....but MIT is one of the greatest learning institutions of all time! of all time!
Wait, so when it's cold, they turn black, thus absorbing heat from the sun. So then they get warm, turning white and reflecting the heat away.... Maybe they should make them like e-paper and change the color by an outside thermometer. Otherwise that paper boy that has epilepsy is going to get stuck in your driveway because he looked at your strobing roof.
actually the paper boy will be just fine
...cuz "mathematically" white+black=grey...looks like somebody at the tile research facility forgot to do their homework
Good thing I have such a large closet. I knew Hypercolor would never die.
Aside from physical durability, how long will these tiles last before they can no longer change color.
I was thinking the same thing.
And is a roof full of these guys even going to pay for themselves within that timespan?
Kind of a cool idea, reguardless.
Well it's not like these things are going to be at Home Depot tomorrow. They are announcing the product they are continuing to develop.
"Yeah just drive down the street and you'll see my house on the left. It's the one with blac-- err white, err wait whats the temperature outside?"
Sucks for people that grow marijuana...
So does jail.
There would be no need for thermal imaging of the earth, from space you would see the cities change colour in real time
This tech is useless for gabled roofs with attics in Northern climates with heavy snowfall. At no point is it energy efficient to have a black roof. When large amounts of snow accumulate on the roof you want the attic to actually be cold. Otherwise you get ice damming problems, and come warmer temperatures you get a leaky roof. Keep your soffits clear and your attic well ventilated ;)
I don't know about the rest of you, but I do all I can to keep my attic the same temperature as the outside temperature. What's the point of heating the air in there when there's a layer of insulation between that space and the rooms inside the house?
what does blood red floor mean.
It means the velociraptors have escaped.
Velociraptors FTW
This is cool...in the future every household can grow their own marijuana inside the house with these things up there...and nobody will find out.
COOL!
I'm curious why they dont use those to build an electric airplane...or maybe a floating airport? :))
This is cool....in the future everybody can grow their own marijuana inside the house with these thing up there.
I'm curious why they dont use these thing to build an airplane or maybe a floating skyscraper?
and be sure to make these thing transparent so people can have a good view they while they in bed.
This is cool....in the future everybody can grow their own marijuana inside the house with these thing up there.
I'm curious why they don't use these thing to build an electric airplane or maybe a floating skyscraper?
please also make sure to design these thing transparent so people can have a good view in bed time.
Something wrong with engadget comment submit lol
Who will build the first black and white 720p rooftop HDTV?
Does this differ much in end result from existing black to white depending on temp paint? Which already exists but the MIT folks may not know about?
A paint that changes from black to white depending on temp used to create a seven segment display:
http://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/color-changing-paint-display/
Which uses Eclipse paint found here:
http://alsacorp.com/products/eclipse/eclipse_prodinfo.htm
Which changes color at 75 degree for the blue/black version according to a picture here:
http://alsacorp.com/products/eclipse/eclipse_show2.htm
I don't see the point, they don't look strong enough to withstand my local weather. Plus a dark roof would be a bad idea in a hot, humid climate.
Yet, for some reason almost all the homes in southern Texas have black roofs.
Which would be why it turns...white...in a hot, humid environment. If you live in a place that's always hot, get light tiles. If you live in a place that's always cold, get dark tiles. If you live in a temperate zone, and this stuff turns out to be cost-effective (or at least cost neutral) in both December and July, then you should consider getting these. Not that hard.
So they can judge the house's mood?? Then all the neighbors will know "Not tonight dear, Ihave a roof ache".
Isn't it easier to plant a big tree on the south side of the house? The leaves automatically disappear at the end of summer, and grow back in spring.
Also, a layer of good insulation should be a lot more effective than this color-changing tile. Insulation will always work in the correct direction - keeps the house warm in winter, and keeps it cool in summer.
Trees are great for that. When we lost a stand of trees next to our house a decade ago, the summer temperatures inside the house climbed sharply.
But planting a big tree is hard (and expensive). You can plant a small tree and wait 30 years for it to grow big enough to shade the roof on your two-story house. In the meantime, I think these roofing tiles could help in some regions. In most of California, for instance, ice dams aren't a concern, so I'd rather have the roof be black in the winter there.
Insulation is relative. Don't believe me, turn off your heat in the Winter and see how long it takes for you to get too cold. Or keep the house closed up and turn off your A/C. Insulation is not total protection. There is still transfer of heat. The higher the R-Factor simply means it takes longer to transfer a given amount of heat.
If it makes sense to use a white roof coating in the Summer, then it makes sense to use a black coating in the Winter (for those of us who have real Winters). I know two people who changed out their home's roof from dark to light. Sure, they saved SOME money during the sunny and hot season, but they spent more during the cold season. And yes, that's adjusted for the increase in cost per unit of energy. However, the extra cost for the white roofing will not be compensated for until well beyond the expected life of the material.
White roofs are only effective areas where there is a significant period of SUNNY weather. HOT weather won't make a difference to a white roof.
Also, why isn't everyone worried about the reflected heat causing atmospheric problems? It's been proven that reflected heat does cause problems. Think about the entire state of California blanketed with white roofs. What kind of meteorological impact will that have?
Doesn't insulation block heat and cold from coming in the house anyways?
You know what? No thanks. Stop futzing about and wasting money on intermediaries. If I wanted to keep my roof truly cool and well insulated, I'd plant sod.
The roof would always be white here; if it's not the temperature, it's the wife! By the way, why does Engadget make low and lowest ranked comments unreadable?
Solar is already affordable, depending on what state you live in (I'm in New Mexico) there are financing options where the panels will cashflow on the first month.
That means for very little down (sometimes zero depending on the system) you can have your house powered by solar and be making+saving more money then the monthly payments are on the panels.