Cool roofs: beating the midday sun with a slap of white paint

Reflecting the sun saves a building's energy but it can also affect surrounding temperatures and offset carbon emissions

There's no shortage of measures that homeowners and businesses can take to lessen their environmental footprint - from better insulation and double glazing, to easing up on air-con usage and swapping in LED lights.

One part of the house that seems to be attracting more than its fair share of attention is the roof. Replacing a standard roof with a lovingly cultivated green roof of plants or adorning it with increasingly trendy solar panels can do wonders for reducing a building's carbon footprint.