Sustainable Materials

Reflective Coatings:
Chaitanya Raj Goyal

Cooler Homes Reflect on Your Energy Savings

uzzwords such as 'Green homes', 'Sustainable construction' and 'Building envelope' have taken over the industry for more than a decade now. The emphasis on sustainability has increased so much that no engineer or architect dares to ignore this aspect of construction whilst it's increasingly being used to woo the customers in real estate as the designers intensely compete to combine modernity, tradition and sustainability. Also real estate is not the confining limit to these upcoming technologies as the energy efficiency achieved by installation of such systems cannot be ignored and screams out for attention!

It can be observed that the temperatures are often a few degrees higher in cities than they are in their surrounding rural areas. This temperature discrepancy is the result of a bizarre phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. A concentrated effort to reduce energy consumption in buildings and their contribution to the heat island effect has led to recent advances in the materials and systems for flat roofs (roofs with a slope from to 3 inches per foot) and walls, used primarily in commercial and multi-family construction. Reflective coating is one such advancement, which can dramatically increase the roof & wall reflectivity and

potential energy savings of existing buildings. While enhancing roof life, reflective coatings can improve air quality and actually reduce the urban heat island effect. In addition, there are other incentives involved when your building meets LEED requirements and of course savings in operational expenses is obvious. What are reflective coatings? Elastomeric roof coatings were put into wide use during the early 1980s as a maintenance product for aging roofs. The original purpose of elastomeric roof coatings was not to provide reflectivity for the purposes of energy savings, but

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Sustainable Materials

to protect the surface that was being coated. Today reflective coatings come in a wide variety of paints, membranes, and textures to reflect solar and ultraviolet heat. Such coatings consist of a polymeric binder blended with pigments and other additives to provide two main benefits: 1) protection of roof membranes, for longer roof life cycles; and 2) reflectivity of solar radiation, for lower air conditioning costs. The use of reflective coating can reduce interior temperatures of a building by 7 to 10 degrees and it has a life expectancy of ten times to that of normal paint. Using reflective coatings will reduce energy needed to cool homes, offices, and shopping centers and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Reflective coatings should be applied by a certified contractor because they might require special surface preparation, repair of leaks or damaged areas and proper selection of materials. While talking of reflective coatings it is more meaningful if we talk of reflective roof coatings as roofs are the critical structural elements absorbing most of the heat and the cause of major water leakage.

A monolithic acrylic coating system on this school provides waterproofing as well as reflectivity and energy

What are their benefits & why choose these over normal paints? Amongst the lesser known energy facts is just how much money the sun costs an average homeowner in air conditioning bills. Summer rays striking the roof of a home or residence can send attic temperatures skyrocketing well into the double digits, driving heated air downward into the cool comfort of your

Reflective coating being applied on roof of a house

home envelope. Most people don't even realize that a good portion of their air conditioning bills are wasted - instead of cooling the home this effort goes toward combating the radiant effects of the sun. And heat's not the only problem, either. High temperatures caused by a buildup of heat inside of your roof can de-laminate plywood, warp studs, and cause extensive damage over time. With heat comes moisture, and this could wreak further havoc in the form of water damage and swelling, depending upon the humidity of the climate. Luckily, reflective roofing products are sold these days to cool things down up there and keep the sun from unnecessarily inflating your air conditioning costs. A question arises here that why is there such concern over all this technology. Why didn't those flat roofs just get coated white and buildings painted in white or light colors? End of the problem, right? Well, they did and do. If you belong to a hot region, they traditionally paint there in lighter colors for aesthetics and temperature. Lighter colors do absorb less heat wavelengths translating to their being cooler regardless of what is being coated, e.g. a white car versus a black car, but this is not news. At least when compared to reflective coating which requires 40% less energy to cool the interiors! The many strengths of the these

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coatings however, versus the standard paints, comes from their doubling of durability/lifespan typically, in part because the coatings are more than twice as thick and more adhesive than regular quality paints. Reflective roof coatings are applied on a variety of roof substrates or membranes for a variety of reasons. For example, they provide protection against water, chemicals, or physical damage. Additionally, such roof coatings protect a roof against excessive temperatures and UV radiation by reflecting visible light and stopping ultraviolet radiation. Their ability to help reduce cooling costs for buildings with A/C units, and to help reduce interior temperatures on buildings with no cooling units along with the ability to protect and prolong the roof system life cycle by reducing the thermal shock stress associated with large temperature changes makes these coatings indispensable. Mechanism Behind the Effect Coatings and insulation regulate roof temperatures in the same manner in which oceans, atmosphere, clouds, and land masses regulate planetary temperatures, i.e., The Albedo of Earth. The solar spectrum can be divided into three wavelength bands, including ultraviolet (300 - 400 nm), visible (410 722 nm), and near infrared (724-2500 nm), accounting for approximately 5%, 43%, and 52% of solar power, respectively.

Matching coating with needs and ensuring performance Roof coatings are commonly specified by the consultants to extend or maximize roof life. This purpose is itself sufficient for a consultant to justify installing or reapplying a coating. But reflective coatings can save organizations additional money by minimizing a building's solar gain and, therefore, its cooling load. A proper research of the available products is must before selecting the appropriate coating for the purpose. Their advantages and disadvantages, potential for energy savings and, most importantly, their compatibility with the roofing system to be coated should also be well researched. Nothing is more discouraging than watching the coating - and energy savings - flake off and wash down the drain after a few short months because the coating was not compatible with the roof system. After consultants have reviewed all the literature and listened to the manufacturer's sales representatives, it is time to get down to what matters - reflectivity and performance. All of the laboratory testing in the world cannot simulate the roof conditions. Customers serious about selecting a coating product should look at some roofs in the area to see how reflective and well adhered the coating looks when it is new. The important things to look for when considering a coating include adhesion to a similar roof system, maintained reflectivity, and an ability to withstand anticipated events on the rooftop. For example, if water ponds start forming on the roof, the coating must be able to withstand it. Adhesion is paramount. Coatings that do not adhere to the roof will not perform. Reflectivity is the feature through which a coating delivers energy savings; if the reflectivity fades away, so do the savings. Once the appropriate coating for the roof has been selected, managers and crews need to take precautions to maximize the coating's performance and longevity. Firstly, have the coating installed by a qualified applicator following

Solar Energy

Reflective Coating

Working of reflective coatings

As more photons strike the roof, they break more molecular bonds of roofing materials, ultimately leading to deterioration of the roof. The most harmful of these are photons of ultraviolet radiation. Although there are fewer UV photons, they are potentially more damaging to roofing materials, so it is important for roof coatings to reflect or block them. The metal-oxide pigments used in reflective coatings scatter light by the same mechanism as water droplets in a cloud or fog; the scattering is due to the tiny particle size. (coatings on a roof are analogous to cloud cover over the earth).The usual pigments are zinc oxide (ZnO) or titanium dioxide (TiO2). These scatter a large fraction of the photons back into the sky, especially in the visible and near infrared bands.

Top coat Middle coat Primer coat Roofing Material Infrared Reflective resin Sunlight

Mechanism of Reflective coatings

Reflective-roof-coatings under application

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