Jotun Paints has launched Jotashield Extreme, an exterior paint product, in the UAE in response to the growing demand for heat-reflective and eco-friendly paints in the country. Jotashield Extreme uses a revolutionary pigment and binder technology that allows consumers to select darker shades of colors, and still achieve thermal indoor comfort and a longer-lasting finish with superior exterior protection at a competitive price, the company said. According to the company, Jotashield Extreme offers twice the heat reflective capabilities of ordinary exterior paint. It provides protection against ultraviolet and near infrared heat, reducing indoor and surface temperatures and consequently driving down energy consumption. It lessens the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and features anti-carbonation properties that protect it against chalking, flaking and peeling. The multicolor-tintable Jotashield Extreme has low dirt pickup, exceeds GS-11 standards for paint and comes with a ten-year performance guarantee. Jotun invested a substantial amount to come up with the innovative properties of Jotashield Extreme, the company said. According to external tests from third party independent testing authorities, tests have shown that structures treated with Jotashield Extreme is between two to seven degrees centigrade cooler than those applied with normal paint. “The phenomenon known as UHI, in which metropolitan areas are significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas, is becoming increasingly common in the UAE and other GCC countries due to the exponential growth of urban areas in the region,” said Per Olav Ramstad, regional marketing director, Jotun Paints. “Further, studies have shown that temperatures of urban air domes can be warmer by as much as four degrees Celsius than the surrounding countryside. This poses higher air-conditioning costs, additional air pollution due to increased energy production, and acceleration of global warming. Our new eco-friendly, energy-efficient product addresses these issues by virtue of being the only paint in the Middle East that can achieve significant temperature reductions upon application.”