What if your house changed color with the seasons? This ‘climate-responsive’ paint could make it happen

By Rosa Rahimi, CNN

(CNN) — When Joe Doucet bought a new house in Katonah, New York, he wanted to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. As a designer and inventor, he immediately found himself wondering whether the exterior of his home could play a role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

“One of the things I had not really considered before was: What color should I paint the house?” he told CNN, speaking in a video call.

It’s well known that light-colored buildings reflect heat and stay cooler while darker ones absorb — just compare chilly Scandinavia’s black housing tradition to the whitewashed homes found across warm Mediterranean countries. But what shade would perform best in a climate like New York’s, with hot summers but dark and snowy winters?

Douce