Test box experiment to assess the impact of waterproofing materials on the energy gain of building roofs in Mexico

I. Hernández-Pérez, I. Zavala-Guillén, J. Xamán, J.M. Belman-Flores, E.V. Macias-Melo and K.M. Aguilar-Castro

Energy, 2019, vol. 186, issue C

Abstract: In Mexico, the owners of homes use roof coating materials for waterproofing purposes and usually select them just for aesthetic reasons. In this work, four concrete roofs with different waterproofing materials (terracotta, white, gray, and black) were tested under weather conditions of Cuernavaca, Mexico. A set-up with two outdoor test boxes in which the roofs can be exchanged was monitored for six weeks of spring 2015. Three comparative tests (terracotta-black, white-black, and gray-black) were carried out during the period with the highest solar radiation of the year. The results showed that the white roof (WR) had the best thermal performance, under peak solar irradiance it was 29 °C cooler than the black roof (BR) and just 1.5 °C hotter than the outdoor air. Moreover, the average daily energy gain of the WR was 73% smaller than the BR. The terracotta roof (TR) and the gray roof (GR) had peak temperatures of 10 and 14 °C lower than the BR. Moreover, the TR and the GR had daily energy gains 33 and 38% smaller than the BR, respectively, but they are significant compared to one of the WR. Therefore, white waterproofing materials for roofs should be used in Mexico as a passive cooling strategy to prevent solar energy gains of buildings.

Keywords: Concrete roofs; Energy behavior; Waterproofing materials; Test boxes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:186:y:2019:i:c:s0360544219315191

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.07.177

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