These days it's common to come across substrates or councils that have specific light reflectance value (LRV) requirements for exterior projects. In the old days the rule of thumb for most was above 40%, but these days it's just as common to see maximum LRV values required where councils are seeking to cut down glare and make homes fit in with the natural environment.

To make it easier for designers to find colours within the LRV range they have to work with, Resene has updated its online Colour Library. Now users can choose the minimum and maximum LRV value, and the colour range or ranges they want to choose colours from. The handy tool will then give all the Resene colour options that meet those requirements.

Remember that while LRV has typically been used in the past as a guide on how much heat and stress will be exerted by a certain colour choice on the surface, it does not necessarily always indicate this. A Resene CoolColour and a standard colour both have the same LRV because they both look the same and reflect the same visible light, but when comparing their Total Solar Reflectance (TSR), the CoolColour will reflect more heat than the standard colour. Depending on the project at hand, this can give designers the ability to use a darker colour than they might normally.