How to Beat the Summer Heat with Roof Paint

Have you ever heard of Equinox Phenomenon? Well, I didn’t until I read an advisory from the administration office of a condo here in Makati in the last week of March.

The condo residents were told to do the following for health reasons:

• Monitor your blood pressure.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Consume about 3 liters of fluid daily.
• Take cold showers as frequently as possible.
• Always check lip condition and ensure eyeball moisture.
• Place a new and unused candle outside your home, in an exposed area. If the candle melts, it is an indication of a heat wave.
• Place a pail half-filled with water in all the rooms to keep interior temperatures down.

A Long-Term Structural Solution for the Summer Heat

Although the Equinox Phenomenon may just last for days, the summer heat lasts for months. Temperatures in the high 30s to 40s are not comfortable at all. Add humidity to that and you feel like you’re in a sauna while having your lungs squeezed.

The above suggestions can take care of your body. But is there anything else you can do to bring room temperatures in your home a few degrees lower than the simmering heat outside?

The answer is yes and it comes in the form of roof paint called Cool Shades™. There are other roof paints of course, but Cool Shades™ can reflect 21% more infrared light compared to non-reflective roof coatings.

The Highly Engineered Infrared-Reflecting Pigments of Cool Shades™

Boysen Cool Shades is a heat-reflective, colored roof coating that is water-based and has low VOC. It utilizes the technology of infrared-reflecting pigments that repel infrared light before it turns into heat. To maintain the heat reflective effect over time, Cool Shade is designed with an all-acrylic binder that provides excellent dirt pick-up resistance.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) tested the Cool Shades Shady Gray vs. the same shade of conventional roof coating. A decrease in surface temperatures by up to 15ºC was measured based on a test which subjected sample materials to three-minute exposures to a 500 watt halogen lamp. Reduction in surface temperature will vary depending on the chosen color, substrate, climate and weather conditions.

Cool Shades™ Come in Different Colors

Cool Shades™ come in white, green, blue, yellow, and gray. If you want to really help the environment though, white is the best option because it has a higher albedo.

Even in clothes, it’s better to wear light colors during summer and dark colors during winter. It’s not only fashion sense but also comfort level: white reflects light (and therefore, heat) and black absorbs it.

For the latest news about Cool Shades, read Using Cool Shades Paint to Help Mother Earth.

Go to your neighborhood home depots and hardware stores to get yourself cans of Cool Shades™. Paint your roof and beat that summer heat.