Western Sydney can get hot.
This isn’t new information, but it’s undeniably true.
The sprawling areas of Western Sydney are also home to most of the new properties being built in Sydney.
With dark colours absorbing more heat than lighter ones, this brings us to an important question: why have darker coloured roofs been the default choice for so long?
The fact that a dark colour absorbs more energy than a light colour is also not new information.
Just go outside in a white shirt & then a dark shirt in February for your own little at home science experiment.
Does it provide an aesthetic benefit or are we just creatures of habit who can be wary of change?
Energy Efficiency vs Property Value
I’ve had the ‘energy’ conversation with many homeowners over the past 5-10 years, mainly about whether adding solar panels increases property value.
Currently, the answer is no. But that is not the whole story.
Right at the moment, the answer may be no, but ‘energy’ will be the next thing that influences buyer behaviour.
Of course location, price & the like will never not be important.
Up to this point, most buyers are unwilling to pay more for similar houses simply because one has a solar panel system installed.
But with a continued shift in attitudes towards various long term green energy solutions, this is going to change.
Properties with modern solar panel systems, home battery systems & good energy ratings will be seen as value adding elements – similar to a renovated kitchen.
In the ACT, sellers must provide an energy efficiency report to buyers.
Online portals show buyers that the property energy rating is of no difference to the block size or how many bedrooms a property has.
So the question becomes when will this be brought in throughout the country?
Urban Heat Island
Western Sydney suffers from the urban heat island effect.
Roads, buildings, footpaths & dark roofs absorb more heat than green areas or ‘non hard areas’ such as parks, gardens, open spaces & water areas.
Temperatures can be 7°C higher than surrounding areas because of this.
A shift away from dark roofs could halve this temperature increase.
Flashback to January 2020 when Penrith was the hottest place on Earth. Yay!
Several studies have been carried out already.
One by the University of Newcastle found that light coloured roof tiles can achieve energy savings of 25-36% compared to dark coloured tiles.
Whilst doing some research for this article, I even came across a NASA commissioned report saying the same thing about areas in the US.
I’ll summarise it…
Trees & green stuff are good = cooler
No trees & all hard concrete stuff = hotter
Energy Savings
Different areas have different needs. The suburbs of Western Sydney will have different needs than Hobart, for example.
However, one thing is clear: having a dark roof means higher costs to keep your house cool in summer.
The average annual household in NSW has an electricity bill just under $2,000.
Switching to lighter-colored roofs could reduce this by an average of $700.
Legislation & Market Trends
There were plans for NSW to introduce legislation to stop using dark coloured roofs on new builds, but this was axed in 2022 after pushback from developers.
South Australia is the only state currently taking action on the issue.
They have currently moved to ban darker coloured roofs from a large development that will be home to 40,000 people.
If you’re a landlord, I can hear the gears turning
How will this affect my rental?
Will I get more rent for a lighter coloured roof?
Short answer is no.
And I don’t think you should rip off that dark coloured roof tomorrow.
But I do think it is always vital to cast an eye to the future.
How long will it be before ‘energy’ is dictating a buyer’s decisions?
How long will it be before that buyer chooses a home solar & battery system over a newly renovated kitchen?
I don’t know when, but I do know it is going to happen.
I also think that for all new builds, there needs to be government intervention to step in & say this continuation of dark coloured sprawling roofs in Western Sydney is a crazy idea.
Making it harder for builders & developers to continue to install mass dark roofs in my opinion is simply a no-brainer.
The minute you start to see street after street of lighter coloured roofs & they are the norm you’ll look back & say why the hell weren’t we doing this decades ago!
Ok, rant over.
As is always the best idea, reach out for a chat with any questions.
