Have you ever heard of cooling paper? Well, considering it’s not on the market yet, we are guessing you haven’t! But it could be the future of HVAC …
Here in the Inland Empire, it’s still pretty hot out right now, and you may be looking for creative solutions to cool yourself down (in addition to using your A/C). Ice, fans, open windows to let in a breeze. But, special “cooling paper” could actually be a lot more effective than that …
What is cooling paper?
Cooling paper is a futuristic invention by Professor Yi Zheng, who leads research at Northeastern College in Boston. He was thinking about the fact that when you wear white in summer (or another light color) it reflects the heat from the sun instead of absorbing it. Of course, this is true for your home too – a light-colored home reflects heat instead of absorbing it. The professor was also thinking about how paper fibers are just the right thickness to catch warmth. These two facts together gave him the brilliant idea of using paper to cool down a home in the summer!
How will cooling paper be used?
As you may have guessed, Professor Zheng’s idea is to literally coat homes and offices with this cooling paper. The light color would repel heat, and the fact that the paper fibers are the perfect thickness would help absorb heat from inside your home. So, you’re rejecting the sun’s rays from outside, while simultaneously absorbing heat from inside. That’s a win-win!
And, it should be easy enough to coat buildings in a mix of paper and Teflon material without it looking too unsightly. (The Teflon guarantees the cooling paper doesn’t fall apart, stick, or absorb water.)
The future is here!
Cooling paper could be implemented in any building, at any time. It would (at some point) be cheap and easy to install, it requires no maintenance, and it lasts a long time!
But what you’re probably wondering right now is, does cooling paper actually work? When Professor Zheng and his team tested it, the best possible result showed that cooling paper can cool down your home by up to 10°! Yes, that’s without A/C! Personally, we found that quite impressive.
This cooling paper could be really revolutionary for buildings all over the world someday, but it doesn’t exist yet. Until this product is actually for sale on the wider market, you will have to “settle” for high SEER, high-efficiency A/Cs from Ballard. Somehow, we don’t think that will be much of a hassle!
Until the future comes, Ballard will help you stay cool in the present. Just schedule an appointment or call now: 909-297-1914
Source: Northeastern
