Dr. Ben Roberts says putting yogurt on the outside of windows can lower the temperature by up to 6.3 degrees (Farenheit). The numbers come following a one-month experiment, where two identical test houses braved the heat—one with yogurt windows, one without.
On average, the yogurt house was one degree (F) cooler, but it saw a difference of 6.3 degrees on “hot and sunny” days. The yogurt results in a film on the windows, which blocks some of the solar radiation, which raises the temperature.
(If you’re thinking of trying to recreate this, Roberts says they used Greek yogurt with a fat percentage of about 10%. He didn’t add, but it seems logical to add that you’ll want to skip the fruit-flavored varieties when doing so.)
Roberts admits he was “quite surprised” when he saw the temperature differences, adding he didn’t think the diary product would be as effective as it was in blocking heat.
Worried about the smell? Roberts says that faded as soon as the yogurt had dried, which took less than a minute. He did not, however, address whether the application of yogurt on the windows attracted more bugs.
