How commercial painting can affect your energy efficiency

Improving energy efficiency in your commercial building is not only better for the environment, it also makes financial sense!

Reducing your energy consumption lowers both greenhouse gas emissions and your costs.

The chances are you’re making efforts to make your business greener, and that probably includes keeping an eye on how much energy you’re using.

So choosing the right paint for the right job really can have an impact on your business’s energy expenses. Who would have thought!

The right paint can make a difference

There’s a reason why many buildings in warmer climes have their rooftops painted white…

You probably learned at school that wearing black clothing on a hot, sunny day makes you warmer because your clothes are absorbing more radiant energy.

If you have a dark-coloured roof on your building, it will absorb somewhere between 70 and 90 per cent of the radiant energy directed at it.

So when it’s really sunny, this energy is transferred into your roof space – and unless you’ve got good insulation, it will come through your ceiling as heat energy.

This means that your cooling systems have to work much harder to maintain a stable temperature.

Likewise, if you have darker paint on the exterior walls of your building, this will absorb more radiant energy and transfer it as heat into indoor areas.

White and other light-hued pigments can reflect the sun’s energy, and if you block and reflect the sun’s rays before they have a chance to heat your building, you can potentially help to keep your building cooler.

Fortunately, you’re not stuck with just using simple white paint if you want to make your buildings cooler and more energy-efficient.

Manufacturers have developed a range of paints and coatings that contain novel resin and pigment chemistries that can increase the energy efficiency of walls and roofs.

Heat reflective paint

Also known as solar reflective paint or cool roof paint, heat reflective paint does exactly what it says on the tin – it reflects heat in order to keep your building cooler.

These paints make use of mixed metal oxide pigments and other coating technologies that reflect a lot of the radiation given off by the sun.

There are a number of benefits to opting for heat-reflective paints in your commercial building:

• Energy efficiency: they lessen the amount of heat that penetrates your building and reduces the amount of energy needed for temperature and climate control
• Durability: Heat-reflective paint fades more slowly as it’s designed to resist UV fading, which means that your colours will last longer.
• Range of colours: these innovative paints are available in a wide variety of shades, so your preferred colour scheme can still be accommodated.

GME Painting Contractors are experts in applying the right specialist coatings to suit your requirements. To find out more about our energy efficient painting and decorating services call GME on 01924 723723, drop us a message in the box below or email info@gmepaintingcontractors.co.uk and we’ll be happy to consult with you on the best heat reflective paint to meet your needs.

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