Color Changing Houses, Who Knew?

Joe Doucet faced a dilemma while shopping for his dream house in Katonah, New York. He considers himself highly environmentally motivated, so discovering a residency that would fit in with his beliefs was a strenuous challenge. The biggest conundrum was the paint color of the house. 

Joe was facing the environmental effects of different colors of paint. It is widely known that lighter-colored buildings reflect the sun, while darker colors absorb it. This natural occurrence leads to buildings having a somewhat regulated internal thermostat. Throughout the winter, if a building is black, its average temperature is 7 degrees warmer than a lighter-colored building. The same notion works in the summer, with white buildings being, on average, 12 degrees colder than dark ones.

Unquestionably, Joe began to turn this personal dilemma into a full-blown product. Inspired by the childhood mood rings, Joe developed the idea for a paint that responds thermochemically. The paint reacts by absorbing ultraviolet light to shift colors above a certain temperature. 

Doucet envisions his product as a direct response to the rising changes in our climate. Last year was the hottest recorded year in history, and the averages only keep rising. The product not only considers the issues of global temperature increase, but it also helps homeowners in their battles with climate pollution and energy costs. According to the International Energy Agency, operating buildings account for 30% of global energy consumption. The product could support homeowners by beginning to regulate the internal temperature systems. This paint could maintain more than just the climate as a whole, but the individuals that make it up. 

While he initially dubbed his concept a “great success”, there were still many issues with the product. One was that the paint substance gradually degraded in immense sunlight. However, he quickly began working with his product team to tweak what they needed to, and the outcome was deemed more successful than before.

While Joe recognizes that paint will not be specifically functional for those living in consistently cold or hot climates, he believes it could alter life in large parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. 

This paint product is just the beginning of what could be the next influential, environmentally motivated stage of our society. As a whole, beginning to realize the impact everyone has is crucial to preventing the shortcomings of climate change. With ideas like Joe’s, the world could continue to shift its trajectory into the future and beyond. (Written on June 19, 2025)