Rigorous testing of our product has been a priority since the first prototype, and the University of Leeds has been testing how efficiently Pirta paint cools a structure since that time.

Reflectivity is a measure of how well heat and light bounce off of a surface, compared to how much is absorbed by that surface. The most reflective surfaces, such as a solid sheet of gold or aluminium, might reflect over 95% of the heat and light to which it is exposed. Pirta paint has an average reflectance of 99.17% in both ultraviolet and visible light.

There are reasons, besides cost, why buildings are not routinely wrapped in gold and one of them is that any heat inside would be unable to escape.

Emissivity is a measure of how well an object can release heat by radiation. Whereas a reflective surface pushes heat away, an emissive surface is able to give off its own heat. The most emissive surfaces are found in nature, such as water or skin, and might have emissivity scores that approach 100%, meaning much of that object’s heat can be emitted away from itself.

Pirta paint has an average emissivity score of 99.7% (259 nm-2,500 nm), so as it absorbs the heat from within a structure, that heat can be released to the outside.

The combination of high reflectivity, high emissivity, and low cost make Pirta paint an important part of the solution to rising temperatures, both on an individual and global scale.