Kynar Aquatec PVDF-Based Coatings Achieve High 3-Year Total Solar Reflectance Rating from Cool Roof Rating Council

Philadelphia, Pa. - Arkema Inc. today announced that the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) has rated Kynar Aquatec PVDF-based coatings to have a total solar reflectance (TSR) equal to or greater than 0.77 after 3 years. The CRRC is an independent, non-profit organization that maintains a third-party rating system for radiative properties of roof surfacing materials. Compared to elastomeric acrylic roof coatings with a 3-year TSR value of 0.55, Kynar Aquatec emulsions may increase energy savings by as much as 63%. Reductions in energy consumption can also reduce ozone-depleting VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and CO2 greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) have conducted research and written numerous papers on cool white roof coatings and energy savings since the mid-1980s. In the 1990s the roofing industry responded to LBNL findings by creating a variety of cool-roof coating materials, and the U.S. Green Building Council qualified cool roofs as a measure that would count toward LEED Energy and Atmosphere  (EA) credits. Key findings of the latest LBNL research study by Ronnen Levinson and Hashem Akbari are reported in "Potential Benefits of Cool Roofs on Commercial Buildings: Conserving Energy, Saving Money, and Reducing Emission of Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants". This research, published in March 2009 by the journal Energy Efficiency, provides a basis for understanding the energy savings of a TSR equal to or greater than 0.77.

Kynar Aquatec PVDF water-based, field-applied coatings have been reported by the CRRC to have initial TSR and emissivity values greater than 0.85 each.  Most importantly, as substantiated by south Florida exposure testing and field case studies conducted by Arkema over many years, Kynar Aquatec emulsions keep cool white roof coatings whiter for years and provide long-term protection against dirt pickup and weathering. By maintaining a high TSR value over the long term, this new generation of Kynar PVDF-based coating technology surpasses the most stringent cool roofing standards and can achieve significant reductions in energy usage and CO2 greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn more about high performance Kynar Aquatec-based coatings, visit http://www.kynaraquatec.com/.