Water Cooled House Would Work Great in Utah and Why this Technology Died

This guy put a pool of water on his roof and didn't need an air conditioner or a heater all year round. Water resists temperature change and using this basic function made it possible to keep his home at 70 degrees in the heat of Phoenix and would work equally well in Southern Utah.

Innovative Design: Water as a Temperature Regulator

Harold Hay engineered this unique home in 1976 and called it the Skytherm. He used water in plastic bags kind of like a water bed mattress. He placed these under a roof that could slide open and closed automatically.

Because water resists changes in temperature, he opened the roof to the sky at night and let the water cool down and closed it during the day. A roof that usually would heat the house now cooled it and it worked beautifully.

Winter Warmth: The Reverse Strategy

In the winter he did the opposite. He opened the roof so the water warmed up and closed it at night so that it kept the house warm. This simple concept was genius and you may wonder why more people don't put pools on their roof.

It turns out there was no conspiracy to stop it. The heating and air industry did not spend millions to shut it down. The reason it didn't become a thing is because it is hard to put a pool of water on your roof.

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For one thing water is heavy. Building a roof that can hold a pool requires some serious engineering. Secondly, if your plastic springs a leak, you have water damage all through the house. And lastly, a pool requires a flat roof and that isn't too appealing.

Still, it makes you wonder if there is some way to make Harold Hay's idea work. There is a company that uses the same concept for large buildings and some people are experimenting with their own DIY versions.