Reflective Coatings Cool Australia's Hot Homes — SkimNews
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- Super Therm ceramic paint, originally developed by NASA for the space shuttle, dropped concrete roof tile surface temperatures from 60°C to 26°C in an Adelaide trial on a 22°C day, distributor Shane Strudwick says.
- Adelaide engineer Nic Jacobson coated his metal roof and western wall with Super Therm and reported an immediate drop in upstairs heat, significantly cutting his air-conditioning costs.
- Prof Sebastian Pfautsch of Western Sydney University says reflective coating should come before solar panels, since photovoltaic systems lose efficiency on dark, heat-soaking roofs.
- Prof Chiara Neto of the University of Sydney co-founded startup Dewpoint in 2022 to commercialize a film reflecting 96% of solar heat that also collects atmospheric moisture; the product is in trials across the Middle East, Asia, and Australia and could cut energy bills by up to 40%.
- A UNSW cost-benefit analysis found coating a roof pays for itself through energy savings, extended roof life, and reduced landfill waste, with typical payback of 3-5 years.
- Dulux paid a $400,000 penalty in 2016 for unfounded claims about temperature-reducing paints — a warning Pfautsch cites about the unregulated cool-coatings market.
- If an entire suburb's roofs were treated with reflective coatings, air temperatures could fall 2-3°C, according to Neto.
Why it matters: With Australia facing a historic El Niño summer, the 3-5 year payback and up to 40% energy-bill savings position roof coatings as the cheapest first step before solar or insulation upgrades. The Dulux penalty underscores real buyer risk: the cool-coatings market is lightly regulated, so consumers must vet temperature-reduction claims before paying to paint their roofs.
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