The aim of this project is to provide a better quantitative understanding of how large cool roofs behave during cool or cold weather conditions, as a function of location around Australia. 

This project is designed to maximise the utilisation of the previous work carried out under CRC LCL project RP1037 ‘Driving Increased Utilisation of Cool Roofs on Large-Footprint Buildings’.

The key technical output from the project will be a new model that better predicts the impacts of higher heating requirements in cold weather that are a result of higher rates of night-time radiative heat losses and lower day-time solar gains, for cool roof surfaces as compared to various non- cool roofing alternatives. This new model will expand the Utilisation Potential of the experimental and numerical work of RP1037 by filling a crucial gap in knowledge. It will enhance the accuracy and confidence of energy modelling predictions of building performance, and through it, the cost : benefit analysis of cool roof materials for large roofs in all major Australian climate zones

_{CRCLCL Project Reports}

RP1037u1: Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates - Final Report

This report outlines the key outcomes of research project RP1037u1 ‘Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates’, an extension to project RP1037 ‘Driving increased utilisation of cool roofs on large-footprint buildings’. 

The research has been focused on two key aspects of roof thermal performance that had, up until the time of writing, not been taken into account in most investigations into cool roof technology: 

1. The condensation and evaporation of dew on the roof surface, and the effect this has on roof temperature by way of:
     a. The latent heat that is absorbed and released; and
     b. Any change in the effective radiative-optical properties of the roof top surface due to accumulated water.
2. The effect of roof temperature on above-roof air temperatures, and the influence this can have on the performance of rooftop heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment.

A review of relevant literature (included in this report) did not reveal any previous studies that had investigated both 1a and 1b, above.

Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates - Final Report (3104271 PDF)

Rp1037u1: Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates - Interim report

This is the first interim report for project RP1037u1, an extension to the recently completed project RP1037 ‘Driving increased utilisation of cool roofs on large-footprint buildings’. Progress so-far in the project and preliminary findings have been summarised in this report.

rp1037u1 interim report 1 v10 (1072854 PDF)

RP1037u1: Interim Report 2 - Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates

This is the second interim report for project RP1037u1. It contains key research outcomes produced since the first interim report was published, including three primary activities: 

1. Implementation of the newly developed roof condensation model in dynamic building performance simulations (BPS).
2. A parametric BPS study, investigating the performance of cool and ‘non-cool’ bare metal-coated steel roofs on a case-study building, as well as the influence of the roof condensation model and revised above-roof temperature model on those simulations.
3. Cost-benefit analysis and greenhouse gas emissions abatement estimates of a cool roof product, based on results from the BPS study.

Interim Report 2 - Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates (1375639 PDF)