The Evaporative Roof Cooling System in action at a Columbia residence.
By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher
In the dog days of the Mississippi summer heat wouldn’t it be nice to keep your house cool without having to pay an expensive electric bill?
Jerry Pirkle and Michael Brown, both of Columbia, have invented the Evaporative Roof Cooling System to keep air conditioning costs to a minimum. Currently the system can save almost 20 percent on cooling costs, but they hope to increase the amount of savings as they continue to improve the product.
“My goal is to save people money,” said Pirkle. “If I can save them 20 percent on their cooling costs, I’m happy and I know I can do better than that.”
They have high hopes that their invention will spread across the United States. “Who knows where this will take us?” said Brown.
Pirkle turned his parents’ Columbia house into a laboratory as the testing ground for the system. A hose runs across the ridge of the roof, and a computer system controls how much water is released based on the temperature. Pirkle has been precise in his research by taking temperature readings on shingles to determine the best way to cool the roof with the least amount of water.
Columbia residents Jerry Pirkle, left, and Michael Brown created the Evaporative Roof Cooling System.
The system involves more than just running cold water over the roof. Evaporation is what causes the cooling, as heat is absorbed when water turns from a liquid into a gas. Brown and Pirkle said the cost of the water involved does not eat up the electric bill savings.
On the hottest days, the system uses about 30 gallons of water. “Water is much cheaper than electricity,” said Brown.
The system currently uses sprinkler heads, but Pirkle said he plans on switching to a new nozzle that will cut the water consumption down by 50 percent. Moreover, Brown and Pirkle have considered collecting rainwater to use in the system.
Brown noted that the system is a “green technology” which are becoming more popular these days. “The population is getting larger, and there are going to be demands on the grid. We have to go green,” said Brown.
To make the invention more “green” they have considered making the system solar powered. Since it is a green technology, Pirkle and Brown may be eligible for government subsidies for research and development.
They can begin installing systems today, and anyone interested in purchasing one should e-mail Brown at mike@nitroexchange.net. The cost is $650, and Pirkle says the system will pay for itself in electric bill savings in two to three years.
“We can do this today,” said Brown. “It’s all proven technology. I think every house and business in Columbia needs one.”
OK, I really like energy saving ideas. So how about this. Would PVC pipe layed out on the roof in zig zag pattern collecting heat from those hot roofs and then directed to the hot water lines produce hot water for baths,showers,etc.?
That would actually work, But you would HAVE to add cold water to it to keep it from scalding you. It would get too hot otherwise.
Hummm….I just was told our water bills are going up!Good luck guys.
Catfish One in Columbia appears to have some type of watering system that they use. When I was there, I saw it and inquired. This is not new technology.
The technology is older than perspiration on an arm. However, It is a proven technology and less expensive that electricity.
Sure seems like this technology isn’t green yet. Is that 30 gallons in ONE day?
That would equal about 1.5 showers extra per day in water usage. That sounds reasonable to help keep a house cool. Or that is about 250000 BTU’s of cooling power that the A/C doesn’t have to deal with.
The increase in water bill was $3.00
may not be a new idea… but it is an exciting new system, good luck guys
Maybe they can develop a way to add a tank to catch the water as it drains from the house and a pump to reuse the water again and this will cut down on the amount of water that is used. Just an idea to consider!!!
Its a great idea in theory but
NO its not a new idea! Tried the same sort of idea years ago with a soaker hose! Spayed innocently, or so I thought, on the windshild of my vehicle, the cooling method ran me the cost of a brand new windshield due to waterspots that nothing could or would remove. Tap water has way too many chemicals.
please let me know when this goes in mass production so i can start selling shingles
This extends the life of roofing materials due to the decrease in thermal fatigue. (shingles don’t get as hot)
2Cent is full of s*** :
Whats wrong you could NOT come up with anything intelligent to comment? OR were you just sitting back waiting for me to make a comment on any topic so you could catch my attention. You love me…you really love me don’t you? If you did NOT love me, you would NOT have played off of my screen name to create your “want to be me” screen name and post such an informative comment!
Its obvious that you have no creativity or intelligence. But, if you would like, I can give you examples exercises on how to get the left side and right side of your brain to function at the same time!
I did NOT say anything about shingles so that was way off base!
However, it takes more than a thimble full of intelligence to run a business of selling products such as shingles. Since you are lacking in that area, I truly hope that you have “plan b.” I personally do NOT want to support that once a month check you will receive if you plan on selling anything other than bulls*** for a living!
I’ve tried this. You’re going to get about A $100.00 water bill and save about $10.00 on your electric bill.
The current savings in cooling costs approaches 20% while the water bill increase was $3.00 dollars.
Example: if your cooling costs are $200 per month, your saving is $40 dollars per month minus the $3.00 dollars in extra water for a savings of $37.00 dollars per month.
The higher the cooling costs, the bigger the savings.
Computer control is the key to the project. You have to take into account air temp, humidity, and the amount of sunlight striking the roof.
this system has been in use out west for years but good try not to say dont install this but just saying it is nor new
This type of cooling has been around for years and the physics behind the system are well proven. The main catch is these systems are seldom used in high humidity areas like the Southern states due to lack of efficiency. However, with computer control and extensive testing we have raised the efficiency to the point they produce REAL savings in electricity usage. This translates to a REAL savings in the wallet.
30 gallons of water is less than one uses during ONE shower.
This is an old technology with a new twist, the electronics package makes all the difference.
I think it’s a great idea. It is a new technology that will be innovated on. I’m sure the final product will be well worth it.
I’ve known quite a few people who’ve tinkered with this idea achieving various degrees of successfulness.
Of course the water usage is a valid concern but most of the problems I’ve known of were maintenance and cleaning running neck-and-neck with algae and structural deterioration over a briefer time than normal.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see us with $100 water bills within 10 years and home water is probably the biggest bargain going here in Columbia. I’d love to see the quality improve but only so much can be expected from the age of our infrastructure and home plumbing ages – keep on workin’ guys – I know both of you and you’re capable of better ideas than this stop-gap potentially expensive “BLING”!
Actually, roof life is extended due to the cooler temperatures the roofing material experiences. Algae and mineral deposits have not presented a problem to date and would be easily remedied with water treatment inline with the system water supply.
The system is modular and scalable and is easily expanded to include equipment for specific sites and circumstances beyond the normal home or business.
30 gal isn’t that much. If u use up all the hot water in a shower that’s prob 30 + gal bc many hot water heaters are 30 gal. A simple hose and sprinkle which I’ve seen many people use would use way more. The newness is the efficiency not the concept of evaporative cooling.