This report outlines the key outcomes of research project RP1037u1 ‘Above-Roof Temperature Impacts on Heating Penalties of Large Cool Roofs in Australian Climates’, an extension to project RP1037 ‘Driving increased utilisation of cool roofs on large-footprint buildings’. The research has been focused on two key aspects of roof thermal performance that had, up until the...

Conventionally in building performance simulations (BPS), it is assumed that air entering outdoor HVAC equipment is at the outdoor ‘ambient’ temperature, obtained from a weather file. However, significant spatial variations exist in outdoor air temperature fields, especially within the thermal boundary layers that form near exposed surfaces like roofs.

This is the first interim report for project RP1037u1, an extension to the recently completed project RP1037 ‘Driving increased utilisation of cool roofs on large footprint buildings’. Progress so-far in the project and preliminary findings have been summarised in this report. The research has been focused on two key aspects of roof thermal performance that...

Cool roof technology is known to reduce the cooling energy consumption of conditioned buildings during hot periods, and widespread implementation of such roofs in a neighbourhood or precinct can mitigate the urban heat island effect. Established building energy modelling techniques are able in principle to predict the benefits of cool roofs due to reduced heat...

The implementation of ‘cool’ roofing materials, with high solar reflectance and infrared emittance, has received significant attention in recent years, as a method to mitigate the urban heat island effect and reduce building cooling energy requirements. The effect of ‘cool’ roofs on heat transfer through the roof structure has been investigated by many researchers. However...