How it works

How do our products work?

Without technology, energy consumption or major construction work, all of our materials and products, developed by innovative companies worldwide, can reduce heat stress or cold problems AND save energy.

The key to effectiveness is physical effects that have often been neglected in the past when it comes to cooling and heating:

Reflection
Emission
Radiant heat
Evaporative cooling
Moisture management

These factors optimize the room climate and keep the body at a comfortable temperature while saving energy – that means feeling better, saving money and protecting the climate at the same time!

Most of our products work through one or a few of the physical effects listed, but our ClimateCotating paints combine all effects into a comprehensive package.

Would you like to delve deeper into the effects of ClimateCoating? Then read the in-depth document describing the full range of effects: Theory – an introduction to physics and history

Reflection

It is well known that a high level of reflectivity in the sun is good for preventing buildings and objects from heating up. For example, people on the Greek islands protect their houses from the sun by painting them white, and cars are covered with aluminum-coated covers in the summer. It is also known that heat radiation can be reflected and thus preserved, which is why thermos flasks, for example, have a mirrored interior.

The reflectivity of our special climate products is unique due to the innovative material composition: this means that radiation is highly diffused and thus reflected back much more strongly than, for example, with conventional paint or fabrics. The reason for this is tiny ingredients such as glass beads (so-called microspheres), which enrich the climate coatings in the same way as the coating of our heat protection fabrics.

Reflection means: to throw back, or more accurately: to radiate back, because it involves processes from optical physics or radiation physics. Here we are dealing with solar and thermal radiation. The diffuse and strong reflection caused by the special ingredients is a special form in which, due to the nature of the particles, scattering effects occur as a result of multiple reflections. This form of reflection cannot be compared with that on non-transparent surfaces such as aluminum foil.

This special reflectivity has strong heat protection effects in summer - a large proportion of solar radiation is reflected back directly - and equally warming effects in winter: heat rays are reflected back into the room by the coated wall or our special curtain fabric.

Emission

Radiative cooling, or heat emission, is the natural process by which objects give off heat in the form of infrared radiation. All materials at room temperature emit infrared radiation with a wavelength of 5-15 μm. However, this process is usually not very efficient because it is counteracted by external influences such as sunlight and air currents that heat the object.

Die Erde kühlt sich nach der täglichen Sonnenaufheizung nachts ab, indem sie Infrarotstrahlung durch das sogenannte “atmosphärische Fenster” in den Weltraum abgibt. Jeder Autofahrer kennt das: nach kalten, wolkenlosen Nächten muss Reif von den Scheiben gekratzt werden, auch wenn nachts keine Minusgrade herrschten. Grund dafür ist die oben beschriebene Emissionsstrahlung der Scheiben durch das atmosphärische Fenster. Doch wir brauchen diese Form der Kühlung am Tag und nicht nachts, um sie effektiv gegen Hitzelast einzusetzen.

The high reflectivity of our coatings, fabrics and films means that the conditions are in place for strong emissions even during the day – the materials are protected against heating up by the sun and can therefore effectively emit heat radiation even during the day and thus cool without consuming energy – the so-called passive cooling.

Radiant heat

Radiant heat distributes heat in a similar way to sunlight. Solid bodies and therefore also living things that are hit by radiation heat up through faster vibration - so to speak from the inside and not from the outside via warm air (so-called convection heat) as with normal heating.

Everyone knows this effect when exposed to direct sunlight in winter - suddenly the jacket is much too warm, the scarf has to go, even though the measured air temperature is very low. Radiant heat is perceived as very comfortable and more pleasant than convection heat. The subjective feeling of well-being is significantly higher, even when the air temperature is lower.

Wie oben unter dem Stichwort “Reflexion” bereits beschrieben, entsteht durch die Microsperes eine diffuse und starke Reflexion in der Klimabeschichtung. Die Membran auf der Wandoberfläche im Raum bewirkt somit eine angehobene Oberflächentemperatur bei gleichmäßigerer Verteilung in der Fläche – und von dort wird die Wärme von allen Seiten in den Raum zurückgestrahlt. Dadurch wird der thermische Komfort im Raum verbessert, ohne die Raumlufttemperatur anheben zu müssen. Es wird zudem mehr Wärme in die Ecken geleitet, wodurch die Wirkung von Wärmebrücken reduziert wird.

Evaporative cooling

Evaporative cooling occurs whenever water changes its state from liquid to gas. This process requires energy and is triggered naturally when air flows around something wet. The energy used for evaporation is heat. This is why we often freeze for a short time in summer when we lie wet in the sun after swimming and dry ourselves off - heat is taken from the body for evaporation. Our body also cools down according to this principle when we sweat - water from the body evaporates on the surface of the skin, making the skin cooler.

Evaporative cooling is also used for cooling by some of our materials:

The climate coatings inside and outside absorb excess humidity and allow it to evaporate, thus increasing the cooling effect in summer.
The cooling clothing is activated with a little water. The material retains the water for many hours and allows it to slowly evaporate - this keeps the body at a comfortable temperature.

Moisture management

The influence of weather and humidity is generally not taken into account when considering heating energy expenditure, although the effects on energy consumption are considerable. Climate coating on facades is used here to reduce energy consumption. The tiny glass beads, which are arranged close together in the layer, have a strong effect on the moisture behavior of the coating and the wall underneath. This has a positive effect on heating energy consumption.

On the one hand, a capillary effect occurs equally with interior or exterior coatings, which draws existing moisture out of the wall and releases it into the air. This is associated with improved wall health and a higher insulating effect of the wall itself. On the other hand, the membrane bridges cracks, which prevents water from penetrating through microcracks in the wall.

In addition, a facade coating has a positive effect on the energy required to dry walls after heavy rain. Walls usually get wet during such rain events and then have to dry again. This occurs via the evaporation described above, which removes heat from the building - more heating is needed to compensate. Not so with a coating with a climate membrane: it closes itself when it comes into contact with heavy water and thus blocks rain from penetrating. This reduces the energy required for evaporation and thus the heating energy required in the building.