How to D.I.Y. a cheap cool green roof
HONOLULU—Kakaako is hot, and getting hotter. Yes, it’s got plenty of asphalt, concrete, and sun. But this vibrant, mixed-use urban neighborhood is also full of ways to cool off. You can drop your surfboard at Ding King and hit Point Panic’s with your fins, or chill at the waterfront park or Native Books. And this Saturday, June 12 at the Green Energy Outlet (GEO), you can learn how to lower your home energy costs—and your portion of the planet’s thermostat—by putting a reflective white coating on your roof.
In addition to reducing your electric bill by up to 20 percent compared with a dark roof, “The coatings also waterproof and preserve your roof, extending its lifetime well beyond the average 15 years. Otherwise, the UV degrades everything,” says GEO owner Frank Rogers, a long-time roofer and photovoltaic panel installer.
But can it work on an old asphalt shingle roof? “Yes! That’s what most people in Hawaii have, and the white coating works great,” Rogers says. The highly reflective paints are water-based, with insulating ceramic granules that reflect infrared heat rays, protecting your roof from “thermal shock,” Rogers explains. GEO sells two coating products.
On Saturday, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Rogers is giving two free how-to seminars on d.i.y. roof whitening. In between, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., there will be talks on solar-powered maneuverable louvered lanai roofs, solar hot water vs. photovoltaic panels (who knew there was a difference?), and fighting allergenic mold and mildew. Full disclosure: From 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., this writer will be giving sustainable living tips and signing copies of my new book, Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices.
On Saturday, GEO will also be offering many green home products at reduced prices. Covetable wares include no-VOC interior paints; sustainable cork, coconut, and bamboo flooring; solar attic fans (GEO installs); green cleaning products; Biobags; water filters; LED candelabra bulbs for refurbishing Mom’s chandelier; and the legendary Kill-a-Watt.
On Saturdays there’s plenty of parking for both bikes and cars (the adjacent Hawaii Blueprint lot is open). You can also get your electric car battery “refilled” while you shop and talk—GEO is also Hawaii’s first electric car charging station—Blue Planet Foundation and Tetris founder Henk Rogers (no relation), for one, refuels his Tesla electric sportscar there. GEO’s electric “pump” draws solar power from photovoltaic panels on its roof. “What it doesn’t use at any given time spills over to the grid, reversing our meter as it were, so we get less of an electric bill,” Frank Rogers says. You can do much the same thing, if you aren’t already, with a solar-heated shower.
Caveat: If, like this writer, you’re afraid of heights, you can contract GEO to whitewash your roof for you. For more on white roofs and their potential planetary savings, click here.
Free How-To Seminars on D.I.Y. Roof Whitening
Saturday, June 12 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Green Energy Outlet
575 Cooke St. at Ilaniwai
(808) 591-1900
Mindy Pennybacker is the editor of GreenerPenny.com and author of Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices. She will be speaking from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and signing her book before and after her talk.
