Solar Shielding of equipment?

[garcam]

I'm trying to determine if there might be some cost benefit realized by shielding HVAC equipment from the direct rays of the sun. The radiant heat from the sun bearing on the exposed compressor unit causes the unit to work harder to cool the space. I can see this being applicable to industrial HVAC units and possibly even convenience stores which are nothing more than refrigerated boxes. If a reduction of energy use on the order of 10-20% could be realized, I believe shielding could be commercially viable.

Further, I'm wondering if there would be a significant reduction in cooling costs if the exterior walls and even roofs that are exposed to the direct sunlight during the day could be shielded with say, a tensioned shade cloth mounted 8-12" away from the surface creating a layer of cooler air against the surface of the wall or roof.
Again, I believe this could be accomplished in an ascetically pleasing manner and could be removed and re-installed easily and could even extend the service life of the substructure, ie. shingles.

Thanks for your answer. I've asked all around the net for answers on this. I had one guy who did some studies on reflective coatings on some roofs in Africa and he indicated that he thought it was a good idea. He was a professor somewhere.
Anyway, Thanks again.

Gary Campbell

 

[KiwiMace]

Beware of those who will take your ideas!

 

[chicopee]

what size AC are you thinking about?
Obviously there are always benefits to protect equipment and structure from the radiant heat. Tree shading is always desirable. Canopies, window shades,vine covered trellis on rooftops, roof gardens, adobe construction, terminte mounds etc have definite economic advantages.
In arid and semi arid climates, indigenous people throughout the globe have come up with effective solutions. Study those past solutions.
Only recently where money is no object that glass wall buildings are surfacing in places where they should not be.

 

[carnage1]

shading or reflectivity can both be beneficial but an odd point to know is that polished stainless steel is not reflective in the heat spectrum, so white paint can be beneficial even on stainless.

Luck is a difficult thing to verify and therefore should be tested often. - Me

 

[carnage1]

also try reading some things on rmi.org or 10xe.org

Luck is a difficult thing to verify and therefore should be tested often. - Me