Earlier studies have suggested that whitewashing roofs can have a cooling effect.
Why do buses have white roofs.
According to this nearly 20 year old new york times article the reason is that white tops are more reflective lowering the temperature inside the bus by an average of 10 degrees during the summer.
I remember reading once that the white roof may lower the temperature on a hot day by 5 degrees.
More specifically white panels reflect the rays of the summer sun thus keeping the vehicles cooler.
The source of that statistic is a very non scientific sounding north carolina pilot study.
After 10 years 98 5 percent of the fleet of 8 700 has white roofs thus improving the overall conditions for passengers and drivers as well as reducing fuel consumption for air conditioning systems.
Why do school buses have white roofs.
White roofs are around to lower temperatures inside of the bus and for appearance.
All of these colors serve a logical purpose.
If you do decide to install a white roof on your business or home make sure you do some research about costs and options in your area and get at least a few bids from different contractors.
The white roofs on modern buses have grown in popularity as a simple and effective means of keeping buses cooler during the hottest months of the year.
Air conditioning helps but it can only do so much on a hot summer afternoon.
There are several different types of reflective roofing materials.
Every little bit you can do to keep the school bus cooler helps.
The source of that statistic is a very non scientific sounding north carolina pilot study.
Buses with white tops cost a few hundred dollars more than regular buses manufacturers say.
Besides in the case of an emergency a bus will be.
Those are the only two reasons that i know of.
Despite all the vibrant colors in the rainbow airplanes are usually a plain white school buses are the color of mildly dehydrated pee and ups trucks are a dark almost chocolate syrupy hue except for the roofs which are technically translucent but look solid white.
Ten years ago the transport for london introduced a programme for the installation of white panels atop the capital s trademark red buses in the framework of further climate adaptation plans.
Part of the program involved studying the effect of the white tops on the temperature inside the buses.