NEOtech Coatings > Projects > Building > City of Adelaide Cool Roof Pilot 2022-2023

City of Adelaide Cool Roof Pilot 2022-2023

Location: Adelaide South West Parklands, South Australia

Global Partner: Superior Products International II, Inc.

It’s a HOT DAY in Adelaide at 37.5°C…at least the City of Adelaide Cool Roof is smashn’ the heat with SUPER THERM. Ambient temp. is 37.5°C and the roof is only 1.4°C over. It’s cooler than the trees by 2-3°C and cooler than the bitumen by nearly 17°C and it was overcast. Inside the building was only 28°C, super cool coating!

City of Adelaide Cool Roof Trial - Super Therm

City of Adelaide Cool Roof Trial with Super Therm Insulation Coating

The City of Adelaide and their Cool Roof Pilot with Super Therm®. It was prepared by Adelaide University, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The report is still to be released publicly; however, the very positive summary; particularly as this was a mild summer in Adelaide, was still excellent. This will ensure long term performance and both energy and carbon savings. For more details contact the City of Adelaide Park Lands Policy and Sustainability.

The results are certainly encouraging and shows the effectiveness of the coating product in reducing the exterior surface temperature as well as the interior temperature of the building.

The results are outstanding!

Outstanding performance and shows the effectiveness of the Super Therm® heat block coating in reducing the exterior surface temp as well as the interior temperature the building.

This solves the urban heat island conversation as the Super Therm® roof is not absorbing the heat and reflecting but it’s also blocking the infrared heat. In many images it shows Super Therm® is cooler than surrounding trees and shrubs.

Image: Uniting Church Netball Association Club Rooms receiving a ‘cool roof’ treatment in Adelaide’s Josie Agius Park/Wikaparntu Wirra (Park 22) – Page 13

Summary

These results are highly positive for the community. The significant reduction in surface and indoor temperatures due to Super Therm® offers several clear benefits:

Energy Savings: By lowering roof surface and indoor temperatures, buildings can reduce their reliance on air conditioning, leading to lower energy bills and reduced strain on the energy grid during hot periods.
Comfort and Health: Cooler indoor spaces during extreme heat benefit the well-being of occupants, particularly vulnerable populations like the elderly, children and those with health conditions sensitive to heat.
Urban Heat Island Mitigation: The trial showed that the Super Therm® coated buildings not only stayed cooler but also radiated less heat into the environment, helping reduce the urban heat island effect. This cooling effect on surrounding areas improves outdoor comfort and air quality, benefiting everyone in the community.
Environmental Impact: Reduced energy consumption also translates into lower greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with sustainability goals and climate action.

Overall, these results support the adoption of a coating like Super Therm® as a practical solution for both individual energy savings and broader environmental and community health improvements.

Urban Heat Island effect for the City of Adelaide, SA

The results from the Cool Roof Trial align closely with the City of Adelaide’s Integrated Climate Strategy 2030. The strategy emphasises resilience, energy efficiency, and reducing the urban heat island effect to create a cooler, more sustainable city. Here’s how the trial results meet several key objectives:

Urban Heat Island Effect Mitigation

The trial demonstrated that the Super Therm® coating effectively reduced roof surface temperatures compared to untreated surfaces. This outcome is crucial in combating urban heat, especially in dense city environments where heat buildup is intensified by hard, dark surfaces. By aligning with the Climate Strategy’s goal to create a “cool city”, this mitigation of the Urban Heat Island effect improves outdoor comfort and supports health and environmental benefits for the community.

Energy and Emissions Reduction

By reducing indoor temperatures, Super Therm® lowers the demand for air conditioning, directly reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This result supports the City of Adelaide’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2035, demonstrating how building solutions like Super Therm® can drive the city toward its decarbonisation goals.

Climate Resilience

One of the Integrated Climate Strategy 2030 goals are to adapt infrastructure to withstand extreme climate events, particularly heatwaves. The Super Therm® coating’s strong performance during heatwaves aligns with this objective by providing thermal protection, thereby enhancing occupant comfort and resilience. This adaptation benefit helps secure public infrastructure against extreme heat, protecting vulnerable groups and supporting continuity during climate stresses.

Environmental Impact and Ecosystem Benefits

The trial’s positive effect on localised temperatures extends beyond buildings to the surrounding environment. By mitigating heat in densely built areas, the Super Therm® application can contribute to healthier urban ecosystems, supporting the City of Adelaide’s goal of fostering biodiversity and improving public health through better urban environmental quality.

Sustainable Practices

The trial results underscore the City’s strategy to incorporate sustainable, decarbonised materials in building infrastructure. Super Therm‘s innovative heat-blocking properties showcase how emerging technologies in sustainable construction materials can directly contribute to the city’s objectives of reducing its carbon footprint and transitioning to a more circular economy.

Community Awareness and Engagement

The trial highlights the benefits of cool roofs as an energy-efficient solution, contributing to the City of Adelaide’s goal of fostering public awareness and engagement around sustainable practices. Educating the community about the impact of such technologies can encourage broader adoption, amplifying the city’s sustainability efforts through individual and commercial actions.

Conclusion

The Cool Roof Trial aligns well with the City of Adelaide’s Integrated Climate Strategy 2030, showing promising support for several key goals, including climate resilience, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and the mitigation of the Urban Heat Island effect. These findings provide solid evidence for the value of Cool Roof solutions like Super Therm® in supporting Adelaide’s commitment to a sustainable, resilient and low-carbon future.

City of Adelaide Sustainability Plans

BHP Pilot is Underway with Super Therm®

BHP are now testing Super Therm® in north-west WA at Newman Mine with the consideration as a significant carbon savings coating, dramatically cools to near ambient surfaces both on top and underneath and lasts over 20 years in the harshest environments; at continuous high performance.

With future projects needing sustainability, the carbon reduction insulation coating Super Therm® is proven as high performance and does as promised. Having our coatings with Super Therm® that saves long term carbon emissions, block heat and fire rated are truly passive solutions yet stand alone in performance. Block heat at the envelope, the source and protect the inside.

The Built Environment Absorbs Heat – Super Therm Blocks It!

Bitumen roads and building materials collectively absorb and store the sun’s solar heat that contributes to excessive heat in our cities like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Adelaide and Perth. These dense urban areas is known as the urban heat island effect.

The heat islands are significantly hotter than temperatures in surrounding suburbs and rural areas and impacts the well being of communities as well as increasing air conditioning demands which increases carbon emissions and costs.

The number of extreme heat days are predicted to increase and exacerbate the urban heat island effect, the City of Adelaide is working to better understand the environmental impacts and reduce heat islands.

In 2019/2020, the Council undertook a Cool Road Adelaide pilot with other stakeholders in which a treated road was monitored to see how specialised coatings reduced surface and ambient air temperatures in the city.

Like bitumen roads, normal roof materials heat up significantly by absorbing the sun’s solar heat. The darker the roof, the hotter it gets. Ultimately this heat increases air-conditioning demands, carbon emissions and energy costs.

In April 2022 the City of Adelaide engaged NEOtech Coatings to apply Super Therm® Ceramic Cool Coating as part of their Cool Roof Pilot on two buildings in the southern Adelaide parklands.

As an example, a netball clubrooms had a dark, Deep Ocean Colorbond® roof. On a 25°C day the external roof temperature was 53°C. The other building had a lighter Surfmist® roof and recorded 45°C. The heat loads into the metal roof and transfers into the building, pushing up the need for air conditioning.

The roofs were pressure cleaned and repaired in a day and the Super Therm application was applied the next day.

After application with Super Therm® on a 27° day, the netball clubrooms roof was a very cool 23°C compared with previous high of 53°C on the uncoated roof. This 225% improvement means it was much cooler inside the building as there was a tiny amount of heat loading into the roof space and traditional insulation.

The Adelaide University independently researched data as part of the cool roof pilot. Based on urban heat mapping and testing sensors before and after application, they are collecting data both on the roof and inside with a final report post summer 2022/23.

Super Therm® was developed with NASA over 6 years. It also prevents:

Roof thermal shock and Extends roof life
Fire rated as Class “A” by NASA
Reduces CO2 emissions towards Net Zero
Inhibits mould and mildew
Proven 20-50% energy reduction
Less visual impact because it’s not shiny white to block the heat load
Reduces condensation…and more

The City of Adelaide’s investment will last well over 20 years against the rising threat of heatwaves, blackouts and increased sustained heat events. They will also be able to make future decisions with local verified data in relation to adapting buildings in Adelaide for climate change.

While cities globally manage growing heat threats, Super Therm® is used around the world to solve heat challenges and the City of Adelaide are future proofing to protect their important assets and the community’s well being.

MEDIA

Cool roofs and how to get them:
City of Adelaide Council trials a space-age ceramic coating as temperatures skyrocket
The Fifth Estate, 17 May 2022

City of Adelaide post: May 6, 2022

Did you know ditching dark roofs could help ease the effects of climate change? 🌞

A cool roof can lower local outside air and inside building temperatures, saving money on air-conditioning and lessening the urban heat island effect. 🔥 That’s why we’re working with The University of Adelaide to research and trial a cool new roof type. 😎

Based on the data provided by the Urban Heat Mapping Project and University testing, we have pinpointed two buildings for the trial; the Horticultural Building and SA Uniting Church Netball Association Club Rooms in Park 22 due to their north facing unshaded and relatively hot roofs.

Sensors have been installed on the roofs and inside the buildings to collect 3 months of baseline data. This week, the cool roof coating is being applied, the sensors will then collect more data after the application of the cool roof coating.

A final report, post summer 2022/23, will be provided detailing the results. These results will then be used to make decisions about building materials in the future, equipping us with local verified data to use when engaging the community, developers and partners in relation to adapting buildings and our city to climate change.

Find out more about how we’re responding to climate change: cityofadelaide.com.au/about-adelaide/our-sustainable-city/climate-ready-city/

City of Adelaide Cool Roof Pilot 2022-2023

The City of Adelaide Cool Roof Report

For more information contact the City of Adelaide Park Lands Policy and Sustainability

Summary of City of Adelaide Cool Roof Pilot Results