How to save energy by utlizing a basic law of physics

It is no news that everyone nowadays is looking for every possible way possible to cut down on energy costs. Not only is this good for your wallet, it is also good for the environment. Energy efficiency is at the top of the list of priorities even for major governmental agencies and large corporations worldwide. Closer to home, energy costs reductions can help every family in being able to save on energy bills and spend those savings either elsewhere or simply put away for a rainy day. Some of the energy saving methods require significant investment up front or a major change in operating style. For example, buying a hybrid gasoline-electric car in place of a standard gasoline powered vehicle may help in cutting down on energy costs, but there is an upfront cost of upgrading to hybrid vehicles which are usually higher in price than their gasoline counterparts.

Looking at ways to save on energy without such significant initial capital expenditures, one simply needs to refresh one of the basic laws of physics. Taught in almost every high school physics class everywhere, this law has to do with reflection and absorption of light and heat. This law states that lighter colors reflect light and darker colors absorb light. By the same token, lighter colors reflect heat and darker colors absorb heat. This can now be put into practice with the goal of saving energy. Here are a few examples that follow in the next paragraph.

If you live in an area with hot climate conditions, such as Arizona or New Mexico, then choosing lighter colors for the exterior of your car is preferable, whereas if you live in a generally cold area such as New England or Canada, choosing a darker colored car is preferable. In the former, the car will reflect as much heat as possible, reducing your air conditioning energy usage and in the latter it will absorb as much heat as possible reducing your heating energy usage. Following the same principle, choosing a lighter color for the siding of your house if you live in a hot climate such as Florida is preferable whereas a darker shade is preferable if you live in northern latitudes. In the former case, sunlight and heat will be reflected reducing air conditioning bills and in the latter, heat will be absorbed, reducing heating bills. Of course in the case of homes, insulation levels and such also play a role, but we are discussing this here assuming all other variables are eliminated. Similarly, the choice of colors can be extended to the clothing that you wear also. The colors of paint that you use in the interior of your home need to be chosen wisely also. Using dark colors reduces the amount of light reflected and therefore you may need to use more light bulbs to get the same effect as opposed to using lighter shades of colors and using as much reflection as possible. This will reduce the energy costs associated with lighting. Hence by proper choice of colors and utilizing the law of absorption and reflection of heat, one can save on energy costs without making significant changes in lifestyle.