What is TSR? It’s Total Solar Reflection

• TSR (Total Solar Reflectance) measures how much solar heat your roof reflects. The higher the TSR, the cooler your home! That is a key factor in reducing your cooling costs and improving thermal performance—especially in warmer regions.

✅ Here’s What You Need to Know:

When it comes to roof painting, did you know that every paint as a TSR rating?

• When it comes to protecting your roof, TSR — Total Solar Reflection — is one of the most important factors you need to consider.
• TSR measures how well a coating reflects the sun’s energy, including UV light, which is the main cause of surface and substrate breakdown.
• Every colour has its own TSR rating for that same paint. This simple number can make a huge difference in how your roof performs over time.

✅ Why UV Reflections Matters

UV radiation penetrates coatings and degrades the material beneath — whether concrete tiles, terracotta, or metal. Over time, this causes chalking, fading, and brittleness. A higher TSR reflects more UV before it can do damage. That keeps your roof in better condition for longer and reduces the frequency of needing to repaint.

✅ Proven Performance Gives You Peace of Mind

There is documented evidence that a roof painted with a TSR rating of around 50% can look almost brand-new after a professional roof wash — even 10 years later. High TSR helps coatings hold colour and appearance far longer.

✅ Dulux Acratex Cool Roof – High TSR, Real Benefits

Dulux Acratex Cool Roof is one of the highest-performing roof membranes on the market, with exceptional TSR ratings. It makes a difference:

• Keep your house cooler. It can keep homes up to 10°C cooler inside, reducing air-conditioning demand and potentially saving thousands of dollars in running costs over the life of the coating.
• Better for your solar panels and better for you. Cooler roof surfaces also mean better solar panel efficiency! Roof temperatures over 35°C can cause a 1% efficiency drop for every degree. If your roof reaches 70°C, that’s up to a 35% loss in solar output.
• Environmental benefits. Higher TSR coatings reduce the contribution to the urban heat island effect. This is why some local councils are now restricting or even banning dark-coloured roofs in new developments, as they absorb far more heat and increase urban temperatures.

✅ Preparation and Application – The Key to Lasting Results

Even the best roof membrane needs the right foundation. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Clean thoroughly to remove dirt, lichen, and chalking.
2. Repair damage — broken tiles, loose ridge capping, rust spots.
3. Prime correctly for the substrate: acrylic sealers for concrete, specialist primers for terracotta, anti-corrosive primers for metal.
4. Apply the correct quantity — one bucket per 50 m² per coat, with a full system (primer plus two topcoats) to achieve proper membrane thickness.

✅ The Bottom Line

🏠 A high-TSR coating like Dulux Acratex Cool Roof, applied with correct preparation and film build, not only protects your roof from UV damage. It can keep your home cooler, cut energy costs, improve solar efficiency, reduce environmental heat buildup, and keep your roof looking fresh for a decade or more.

🏠 And there’s an added bonus—Dulux offers a 15-year warranty on this product, and if you use a registered Dulux applicator, the warranty can be fully backed by Dulux themselves!

📞 Book Your Inspection with R3 Roofing

From storm protection to pest prevention, roof maintenance matters. At R3 Roofing, we believe in real inspections—not just drone flyovers. Let us help keep your property safe from the top down.

👉 Contact us today to schedule a professional inspection.