How wall color can FREELY cool—or heat—buildings by over 25˚F (13˚C), & shade can cool them by over 45˚F (25˚C)
Light colored exterior walls—exposed to full sun—are over 25˚F (13˚C) cooler than darker colored walls; while shaded walls (whatever the color) are over 45˚F (25˚C) degrees cooler than walls exposed to the full sun.
I discovered this by comparing the temperature of different colored west-facing walls with a hand-held infrared thermometer on a summer afternoon when the ambient temperature was 102˚F (38˚C) in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
I also compare the difference of temperature of walls in full-sun to those in the shade, so you can make informed choices in the color of your building, and where you can more wisely utilize shading strategies to FREELY cool you in summer and warm you in winter.
Filmed August 2023
I use a Fluke 62 MAX+ Handheld Infrared Laser Thermometer to take the temperature readings.
https://www.fluke.com/en-us/product/temperature-measurement/ir-thermometers/fluke-62-max-plus
Get more info on free, passive summer cooling—and winter heating—at:
https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/sun-shade-harvesting/
and
https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/
where you can buy the new full-color editions of Brad’s award-winning books, “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond” at deep discount direct from Brad at:
https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/shop/
For more videos that expand on this one subscribe to this channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/HarvestingRainwater?sub_confirmation=1
For more on such neighborhood efforts see
https://dunbarspringneighborhoodforesters.org/
See the video Rain-Irrigated LIVING Air Conditioners Shading and Cooling Neighborhood Streets by 38˚F or 21˚C at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyD4N_RXvb8
See the new, full-color, revised editions of Brad’s award-winning books
– available a deep discount, direct from Brad:
Volume 1
Many free, passive summer cooling and winter heating strategies—especially in chapters 4 and 5, and appendix 7
Volume 2
This book shows you how to design, place, size, and implement many different water-harvesting earthworks for many different contexts, so you can grow living air conditioners for summer and heaters for winter.