NASA Space-Shuttle Roof Tech Cuts Energy Bills 40% — SkimNews
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- Nic Jacobson, an Adelaide engineer, coated his metal roof with Super Therm and reported the upstairs heat dropped noticeably, with a significant reduction in air-conditioning costs.
- Super Therm, a water-based ceramic coating originally developed by NASA for the space shuttle, kept concrete roof tiles at 26°C on a 22°C day in Adelaide while untreated tiles hit 60°C, distributor Shane Strudwick says.
- University of New South Wales researchers found roof coatings typically pay back within three to five years through energy savings and by extending roof life, which also reduces landfill waste.
- Prof Sebastian Pfautsch of Western Sydney University argues a reflective coating should be the first retrofit step, because dark, heat-soaking roofs also make solar panels less efficient once installed.
- Prof Chiara Neto of the University of Sydney developed a film reflecting 96% of solar heat that also condenses and collects water; her 2022 startup Dewpoint is now trialling the product across the Middle East, Asia and Australia.
- Dulux paid a $400,000 penalty in 2016 for unfounded claims about the temperature-reducing properties of two paints — a precedent Pfautsch flagged when warning consumers to vet heat-reflective products.
- If all roofs in a suburb were treated, local air temperatures could drop by 2-3°C, benefiting neighbouring buildings, according to Neto.
Why it matters: For the many Australian homes with medium-to-dark roofs heading into a record-hot El Niño summer, a reflective coating with a 3-5-year payback is cheaper than insulation or solar and can be applied to an existing roof — and if adopted suburb-wide, Neto estimates a 2-3°C local cooling effect. Homeowners have real money on the line: Dulux already paid $400,000 in 2016 for overstating similar products.
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