Phoenix, AZ – “Cool roof coatings are a wonderful low-tech way to achieve real energy savings,” says Castagra Products, Inc. CEO, Peter Roosen, who developed the vegetable oil and gypsum combination coating Ecodur.
“Certain circles see the US pulling out of the Paris climate accord as a disaster for the environment. I believe the changes that are in place now and the forward movement on making buildings and homes more energy efficient, are unstoppable.”
The global cool roof coating market is expected to reach US$ 5.41 billion by 2025 and the overall global roofing market is projected to reach US$ 270.40 Billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2016 to 2026.
Cool roof coatings, typically white, on average have solar reflectance of 60-75%, while conventional roofing materials have reflectance of only 5-25%. There are higher performance ones which use specialty pigments to emit back a high percentage of infra-red radiation.
“Our Ecodur contains white titanium dioxide, which gives very high reflectance. Unlike other coatings, the unique chemistry of our coating does not get affected internally by intense UV radiation and photocatalys, so it remains extremely stable over many decades unlike some conventional cool roof coatings which are known to break down quite rapidly because of their titanium dioxide content.
“It is hard not to overstress the benefits of the chemistry involved with plasticised gypsum and how it has created an immensely durable coating that retains all its elasticity and ability to be repaired decades later and have the repairs chemically bond to original surfaces,” continued Roosen.
Ecodur is also VOC-free, BPA-free, solvent-free, and, of particular importance to the water and wastewater industries, it is NSF-61 rated for use in contact with drinking water.
“Purity is becoming a factor with roofing. Many green roof designs for instance, factor in water storage facilities. In many areas, roof rain water is often recycled as drinking water for livestock and for watering flowers and vegetables.
“A cool roof coating in many parts of the world, can save 20 plus percent on HVAC costs and for large buildings, this can be a considerable sum, so a low-tech measure like a cool roof coating is highly cost effective. It is also a sound step on the path to reducing the heat sink effects many of us experience in summers in hot cities,” concluded Roosen.
The California Energy Commission says reflective roofs can reduce a building's energy use by 20% and save consumers money. A California EPA study found that cool roofs provide an average yearly net savings of almost 50 cents per square foot.
A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study in India measured annual energy savings potential from roof-whitening of previously black roofs ranged from 20 – 22 kWh/m2 of roof area, corresponding to an air-conditioning energy use reduction of 14 – 26% in commercial buildings.
The study estimated that typical annual savings of 13 – 14 kWh/m2 of roof area could be achieved by applying white coating to uncoated concrete roofs on commercial buildings in the Metropolitan Hyderabad region, corresponding to cooling energy savings of 10 – 19%.
Castagra Products Inc., has its registered office in Reno, Nevada, and headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. It has its main toll production facility in Houston in Texas. The company is focussed on providing ultra-protective VOC-free, BPA-free, non-toxic coatings for flooring, roofing, water and waste water industries and oil, gas, frac production water storage tanks and pipes.
