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Fibro Cement Walls Are Lightweight – That’s the Problem

Cool Surfaces | Insulation Coatings | Passive House | Sustainability | Thermal Info

Fibro cement is everywhere. Affordable, easy to install, and structurally sound.

But thermally? It’s weak.

It has low thermal mass and low resistance to radiant heat. That means:

  • It heats up fast under solar load
  • Transfers that heat straight through the wall
  • Dumps it into the interior
  • Keeps releasing heat even after sunset

That’s why fibro homes feel hot during the day and don’t cool down at night.

You’re not just dealing with insulation gaps. You’re dealing with surface heat load.

The Real Issue: Heat Is Hitting the Surface First

Most people try to fix fibro walls from the inside. Batts, boards, foil.

That’s backwards.

The heat has already entered the wall system.

Fibro cement doesn’t stop radiation. It absorbs it, then conducts it inward.

So the real problem sits at the surface:

sun → fibro sheet → heat absorption → heat transfer → internal load

If you don’t stop that first step, everything else is just damage control.

What Super Therm® Does Differently

Super Therm® is not a bulk insulation.

It’s a surface-applied thermal insulation barrier.

At just 0.25mm dry film thickness, it changes how the wall behaves thermally.

It works across three mechanisms:

1. Reflects Solar Load

Reflects 97% of UV and a high portion of visible light

2. Blocks Infrared Heat

Stops up to 99% of infrared radiation – which is where most heat energy sits

3. Slows Heat Transfer

Very low thermal diffusivity means heat doesn’t move through the coating easily

This is where most coatings fall apart. They reflect some light, but still let heat pass through.

Super Therm® blocks it.

External Application: Stop the Heat Before It Enters

Applying Super Therm® to the outside of fibro cement walls is where the biggest gain is.

You’re stopping heat at the source.

What happens:

  • Surface temperature drops significantly
  • Heat absorption is reduced
  • Less heat moves into the wall cavity
  • Internal temperatures stabilise

This directly reduces:

  • Air conditioning load
  • Energy consumption
  • Peak heat spikes inside

Real-world data backs this up.

In the City of Adelaide Cool Roof Trial, internal temperatures dropped by up to 6°C below ambient.

That’s surface control doing its job.

Internal Application: Secondary Control Winter Layer

Internal application isn’t the primary move, but as a thermal membrane Super Therm® blocks warm air touching cold surfaces, keeping the heat in the room.

Especially useful where:

  • Unable to add insulation into a room
  • Walls are already installed and inaccessible externally
  • Give peace of mind for reduced fire spread
  • Reduces mould growth
  • Reduces the sound transfer between rooms

What it does internally:

  • Reflects radiant heat inside back into the room
  • Reduces internal heat loss from cold wall surfaces in winter
  • Improves comfort near walls

Think of it as a thermal buffer with a membrane on the walls.

Not stopping the problem – but reducing its impact for cold fibro cement homes.

Why Fibro Cement Benefits More Than Most

Heavy materials like concrete store heat.

Fibro doesn’t store much – it transfers it quickly.

That makes it ideal for a surface solution like Super Therm®.

You’re not fighting stored heat. You’re intercepting fast-moving heat.

That’s why results feel immediate:

  • Faster cooling response
  • Less lag in temperature change
  • More stable internal conditions

The Bigger Shift: Stop Relying Only on R-Values

Fibro walls highlight a bigger industry problem.

R-values measure resistance to conductive heat under steady conditions.

They don’t deal with:

  • Solar radiation
  • Surface heat gain
  • Real-world dynamic heat loads

That’s where most buildings lose the battle.

Super Therm® isn’t replacing insulation. It’s fixing what insulation doesn’t address.

Bottom Line

Fibro cement walls don’t need more bulk.

They need better surface control.

Apply Super Therm® externally and you stop heat before it enters.

Apply it internally and you reduce what still gets through.

Do both, and you stabilise the entire wall system.

That’s how you turn a lightweight wall into a high-performing thermal barrier.


References

Insulating Concrete Tilt-Up Walls – NEOtech Coatings
https://neotechcoatings.com/insulating-concrete-tilt-up-walls/

Your Home – Insulation Guide (Australian Government)
https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/insulation

CSIRO – Heat Flow and Building Performance
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/natural-environment/climate/energy-efficient-buildings


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