Ceramic coating test results University of Nevada
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, under the direction of the Mechanical Engineering Department, has developed the Arid Regions Environmental Laboratory (AREL) to test new technologies that help in saving on energy demand.
The facility consists of two identically constructed rooms, which are identically oriented with respect to the sun.
The facility is equipped with a heating and cooling system, digital readout watt meters, several sensors for measuring indoor surface temperatures and instantaneous heat flows, local wind speed and directions as well as the total intensity of sunlight received on horizontal surface.
All these data are collected at regular time intervals using a computer data acquisition system. These data are stored in the system for long term data analysis of trends as well as for comparative purposes between it and computer model simulations.
The first technology that was tested was ceramic base paint.
The testing period was between the months of June - September 1994.
Two identical chambers were constructed and coated, on one chamber the coating was fortified with ceramic insulating microspheres. (as in the Therma Guard product)
The results showed the chamber that was painted with the regular outdoor paint showed a significant increase in energy usage compared to the chamber painted with the ceramic paint.
MONTH |
PAINT |
Ceramic |
% DIFF |
JUNE |
167.99 |
117.21 |
43.32 |
JULY |
101.81 |
69.68 |
46.11 |
AUGUST |
175.72 |
109.72 |
60.15 |
SEPTEMBER |
63.16 |
39.55 |
59.69 |
TOTALS > |
508.68 Watts |
336.16 Watts |
51.32 |
Rohm & Haas Chemical, a major supplier of resins for the paint and coating industry, participated in a cooperative research project with the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi Power Company to quantify the effects of white reflective acrylic roof coatings when applied to actual full scale roofs.
Three similar buildings, 2 of similar design using construction techniques and insulation guidelines prevalent in the 1970's. The third building was constructed using revised and upgraded installation guidelines from the 1980's, consistent with the "Good Cents" program espoused by the Mississippi Power Company.
After one year of continuous monitoring, the elastomeric coated building had 21.9% lower energy consumption in the summer than the control building. The white coating also reduced the energy demand by 3.99% in the winter
Return to Therma-Guard insulating paint system
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"Insulation" in the news if available:
Toaster ovens save time and energy (Asbury Park Press)Q: Does it make efficiency sense to use countertop appliances, such as a toaster oven, instead of the electric range oven/broiler? I was told the range has much wall insulation to save more energy?Simple insulation could combat heat, cold and noise (PhysOrg)Around the world, an estimated one billion people--mostly in rural villages and the shanty towns surrounding developing-world cities--live in houses whose roofs are nothing more than thin sheets of corrugated metal. These houses become unbearably hot in the summer, freezing in the winter (especially in high-altitude regions), and deafeningly noisy when heavy rains pound on the bare metal.
