South African homes can lower their energy consumption costs and contribute to environmental sustainability by using coatings manufacturer Plascon’s roof paint, Nuroof Cool, with Herotech Enviroshield formulation.

The product, which was launched late last year, was developed with the Enviroshield formulation that boasts increased solar reflectance characteristics.

Plascon group brand manager Melissa van Soelen says roof surfaces are exposed to large amounts of the sun’s energy, owing to their larger surface areas and favourably aligned angles.

The new paint technology reduces a home’s interior temperature by up to 8 ºC as it reflects about 30% of the sun’s invisible infra-red light off the roof’s surface.

“Lower roof temperatures mean less stress and strain on the coating and the roof, promoting a longer roof life. Lower roof temperatures also translate into cooler interior spaces, less air conditioning as well as potential lower energy consump- tion, or increased comfort,” Van Soelen notes.

Nuroof Cool, part of Plascon’s Premium Plus brands, is also environment friendly – it reflects the sun’s heating energy back into the atmosphere through greenhouse gases, helping to reduce the planet’s temperature.

Prior to the product’s launch, application trials were undertaken at Plascon’s new product development centre, in Alberton, to monitor the change in the interior temperature of the test houses that had been treated with the paint.
Sixteen steel test houses were fitted with temperature probes that monitored the homes’ interior temperature daily. The tests revealed that interior air temperatures could be reduced by up to 8 ºC.

Plascon senior marketing executive Carol Ras says the company is aware of the impact of paint on the environment.

“It is for this reason that we endea- vour to manufacture products that are environmentally conscious. Nuroof Cool was developed not only to showcase Plascon as a leader in environmentally advanced manufacturing processes but to also help the end-user be more pro- active in environmental sustainability,” Ras says.

Nuroof Cool is available in 16 colours and has a 12-year quality guarantee.