Science Fair Projects on Effects of Color on Temperature

How Does Shingle Color Affect Temperature Inside the House?

Physics Color Color and Temperature

Jordan
4th Grade - Age 9
Colorado, USA

This project has been submitted to the International Online Science Fair Contest

Science Fair Projects on Effects of Color on Temperature

PROBLEM:

What effect does shingle color have on the temperature inside a house?

HYPOTHESIS:

I believe houses with dark colored shingles will be hotter inside than houses with light colored shingles.

MATERIALS:

5 file boxes and lids
4 different color shingles
Darkest – Rustic Brown
Dark - Weathered Wood
Light - Rustic Cedar
Lightest - Grey Blend
String
5 thermometers

PROCEDURE:

I put together the 5 cardboard boxes and hung a thermometer in the middle of each box. Next, I covered the top of the first box with one layer of fiberglass asphalt roofing shingles. I covered the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th box in the same way, but I used different colored shingles. I left one box uncovered – no shingles. I set all 5 boxes in a sunny spot in my cul-de-sac. All the boxes were sitting on the same surface and facing the same direction. I recorded the outside temperature and the temperature inside each box every hour from 7:00am until 7:00pm.

CONCLUSION:

Dark colored shingles will make the temperature inside your house hotter if it is sunny because they absorb light/heat from the sun. If you have light colored shingles or paint your house white on top, your house will stay cooler when it is sunny because light colors reflect light/heat from the sun. If it is not sunny, shingle color doesn’t effect the inside temperature of your house. Fiberglass asphalt shingles do not help to keep heat in or out of the house. They are not insulative.

If I did this experiment again, I would use shingles made out of different materials.

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