A novel lightweight phase-changing cooling roof tile

Roof tiles are the most common roof coverings in Indian buildings, especially in traditional residential buildings. Given the important role of roofing characteristics in building energy efficiency and indoor thermal comfort conditions, innovative solutions to improve the thermal energy performance of this diffused roofing element have become a key research issue. In this perspective, cool roofing applications represent an effective solution to this objective. The present work deals with the analysis of an innovative cooling roof tile manufactured using a combination of Metakaolin with different percentages, EPS, sodium silicate, and coating material. The experimental work was carried out during day and night. The thermal performance of cooling roof tiles was assessed in terms of the open-air temperature compared to the thermal performance of ordinary roofing tiles. The report discovered that using revolutionary cool roofs greatly increased thermal comfort during the daytime, and preserved thermal comfort during the night. The innovative cool roof tile is cheaper, easier to implement, and less expensive compared to other roofing technologies. The study revealed that the roof's exterior and interior surface temperature reduced about 8°C and 12°C, respectively during day time, while the roof's exterior and interior surface temperature maintain atmospheric temperature during nighttime. The compressive and transverse breaking strength was increasing about 9.1% and 39.6%.