AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints business in China launched a new thermal insulation coating system which can cool down buildings and make them more energy efficient.

AkzoNobel launched new thermal insulation coating system.

The innovative technology acts like a sunscreen, featuring a radiative cooling topcoat and a thermal radiation barrier mid-coat. The surface temperature of buildings can be lowered by up to 10% during hot summer months, compared with using conventional coatings.

“We aim to provide consumers with safer, more sustainable and comfortable living environments, while contributing to China’s dual-carbon policy, which is focused on both controlling total carbon emissions and carbon emissions intensity,” explained Karen Yin, Director of the company’s Decorative Paints China North Asia business and President of AkzoNobel China.

The passive radiative cooling process involves emitting heat lost through thermal radiation into outer space. It significantly enhances energy-saving performance, particularly when renovating existing buildings. This has been successfully tested on several buildings in the Lingang section of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone in China.

The mid-coat uses advanced aerogel insulation materials, which have extremely low thermal conductivity, helping to effectively block the transmission and penetration of heat.

The topcoat is an upgraded version of heat-reflective coatings, offering higher reflectivity to further reduce solar heat absorption. It also has high thermal emittance, allowing it to directly emit heat back into the atmosphere, mitigating urban heat island effects. Both of these coatings are low-VOC and fully water-based.

With the built environment estimated to be responsible for around 40% of annual global carbon emissions, the technology has the potential to redefine urban cooling in hot climates and help drive the creation of more sustainable buildings.

AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints business in China launched a new thermal insulation coating system which can cool down buildings and make them more energy efficient.

AkzoNobel launched new thermal insulation coating system.

The innovative technology acts like a sunscreen, featuring a radiative cooling topcoat and a thermal radiation barrier mid-coat. The surface temperature of buildings can be lowered by up to 10% during hot summer months, compared with using conventional coatings.

“We aim to provide consumers with safer, more sustainable and comfortable living environments, while contributing to China’s dual-carbon policy, which is focused on both controlling total carbon emissions and carbon emissions intensity,” explained Karen Yin, Director of the company’s Decorative Paints China North Asia business and President of AkzoNobel China.

The passive radiative cooling process involves emitting heat lost through thermal radiation into outer space. It significantly enhances energy-saving performance, particularly when renovating existing buildings. This has been successfully tested on several buildings in the Lingang section of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone in China.

The mid-coat uses advanced aerogel insulation materials, which have extremely low thermal conductivity, helping to effectively block the transmission and penetration of heat.

The topcoat is an upgraded version of heat-reflective coatings, offering higher reflectivity to further reduce solar heat absorption. It also has high thermal emittance, allowing it to directly emit heat back into the atmosphere, mitigating urban heat island effects. Both of these coatings are low-VOC and fully water-based.

With the built environment estimated to be responsible for around 40% of annual global carbon emissions, the technology has the potential to redefine urban cooling in hot climates and help drive the creation of more sustainable buildings.