A field trial was conducted in conjunction with The Department of School Education between December 2000 and April 2001 to evaluate the performance SkyCool in a demountable classroom environment at the Berkeley Vale Public School.
Portable classrooms are use throughout the State and have a reputation for overheating in summer creating a very arduous environment for concentrated education.
The demountable class rooms present a "worst case scenario" in which to trial SkyCool for the following reasons:-
Key Findings from this trial:-
- unlike supermarkets or warehouses, much more of the solar energy enters the occupied space through the walls than the roof.
- sub-roof insulation tends to trap in any heat entering the structure through windows and walls (as well as internally generated heat), keeping it away from SkyCool's ability to radiate it into space,
- open windows and ceiling fans permit a high rate of external air exchange bringing in the hotter outside air which SkyCool has to constantly re-cool.
Despite these challenges SkyCool performed extraordinarily well. The maximum daily temperature of the SkyCool coated room during the occupied period of the trial (February to April, 2001) was maintained at or below external shade temperatures (ambient) for 84% of the time. On the hottest day in December the ambient temperature reached 38°C by 12 pm when the SkyCool coated room had barely reached 30°C. Whereas the uncoated class rooms peaked at 41°C.
- SkyCool was significantly more effective at maintaining lower internal temperatures than any previously tested heat-repelling or insulating coating.
- Although there were many environmental factors beyond the control of the trial including cloudy weather, use of the air conditioning unit in one room, air-exchange factors and room population, SkyCool produced excellent results over the whole period.
- SkyCool was shown to be one of the cleanest and easiest coatings to apply. There was no need to evacuate the region or even the room. The liquid coating is water based and contains no toxic components. With exterior spray painting it is usual to experience a 20-30% loss of material due to wind drift of the spray mist. The total spray loss factor with SkyCool was 1.4% - it didn't even touch the boots of the applicators. Environmental and personnel safety are very important factors in the formulation of SkyCool.
