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A cool discovery from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers has found that a special roof coating could bring Queenslanders relief from sweltering summers, as well as lower electricity bills.
A two-year study focusing on a sample of houses, schools, offices and retail spaces in Brisbane and Townsville, revealed roofs painted in a special reflective paint resulted in a 2ºC reduction in inside temperature, in non-air conditioned internal spaces, such as classrooms.
The specific white paint used in this research works by reflecting 88% of the sun’s energy, resulting in a cooler roof and hence cooler inside temperatures. This is compared with a standard light coloured roof that reflects less than 65% of the sun’s energy or a dark coloured roof that reflects less than 25% of the sun’s energy.
Professor John Bell, head of QUT’s School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, who ran the project with QUT Senior Research Fellow, Dr Wendy Miller, said the study had shown "significant savings” in energy usage and electricity costs were possible.
