Tag: energy savings

5 Ways Your Commercial Roof Can Save Energy Costs

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

With their large air conditioning systems, commercial buildings can often rack up high energy bills. But, there are several ways building owners can save energy. In fact, a new commercial roof can save energy costs through special materials and reflective surfaces. As a help, we put together these five simple ways that commercial building owners can reduce energy through the installation of a new roof.

5 Ways Your Commercial Roof Can Save Energy Costs

1. Reflective surfaces keep buildings cool.

In many commercial buildings, heating and cooling costs are the most expensive parts of the energy bill. Solar reflection on a commercial rooftop can keep a building from heating up too much in the summer, greatly reducing your energy use. To keep buildings cool, choose a roofing material with a reflective surface that won’t absorb the sun’s heat. Metal roofing is one of the best types of reflective roofing, and it’s one of the most durable roofing materials that will last for a very long time.

2. Light-colored roofs also reflect the sun.

Another common way to reduce energy costs in commercial roofing is through a cool roof. A cool roof is a typical flat roof painted white or another light, reflective color. Almost any type of commercial roof material can be converted into a cool roof to help you start saving energy.

3. Quality commercial roofs provide extra insulation.

Insulation is difficult to install on a commercial roof that already exists, however, if you’re installing a new roof, adding insulation can be a major energy saver. The materials and labor for an insulated roof can be expensive but the money saved on electricity bills over time can offset the cost.

4. A green roof can help reduce heat.

A green commercial roof is any type of energy-efficient roofing that uses vegetation on the rooftop to cool the building and filter stormwater. Green roofs can last much longer than a traditional roof, and they greatly reduce heat caused by buildings in urban areas. Keep in mind, though, that a green roof won’t work for every building type and requires a specialized roofing contractor.

5. A solar roof can power your building.

An excellent way to cut your power bills down is to generate your own electricity. Flat commercial roofs are an excellent place to put solar panels. Many roofs need very little prep in order to support solar panels, but a roofing contractor may need to reinforce your roof and ensure that the solar panels are fastened properly.

Looking to Reduce Your Roof’s Energy Costs?

Our team at Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. has nearly 70 years of experience in guiding building owners toward the best commercial roofing options that will last for years to come and save as much on energy costs as possible. Contact us today for a consultation or to learn more about our commercial roofing solutions!

4 Top Trends in Corporate Roofing

Posted on by John Maxwell

Well-constructed, high quality roofing never goes out of style, but commercial roofing is always changing as technology improves and designs shift. At Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc., we are always monitoring the top trends in corporate roofing to ensure that our customers get the best products and services.

Here are a few of the latest trends we are seeing in new corporate building roofs:

1. Designer Roofs

While flat, utilitarian roofs are still popular in commercial real estate, more companies are choosing to make a design statement with their new roofs or roof replacements. Metal roofing is becoming a more popular option for businesses. Metal roofs help a building stand out and are also one of the most durable roofing materials. Buildings with steep-sloped roofs can also use traditional materials like asphalt shingles or slate to give the business a more welcoming feel.

2. Eco-Friendly Roofing

More and more businesses are making efforts to go green, and those efforts are starting to extend to rooftops. One growing trend is to build a green roof of soil and vegetation on the roof deck. Green roofs help keep man-made chemicals from draining off buildings into the environment, and they also help prevent buildings from heating up the air around them. Solar roofs are also becoming more popular. Using solar panels, roofs can generate renewable electricity for the building.

3. Energy-Efficient Roofing

With proper insulation and carefully selected materials, the roof can play a big role in a corporate building’s energy efficiency. Cool roofs, which use a lighter color of paint to reflect light away from the buildings, have become a popular way to keep air conditioning use down in a building.

4. New Roofing Materials

Asphalt is no longer the only thing corporate offices consider putting on their rooftops. Metal, rubber, and synthetic materials have all started making their way into the roofing industry. The emergence of new materials lets corporate building owners choose what is most important to their businesses and buildings, whether it’s durability, easy maintenance, or fire-proofing.

Industry Trends

While roofing trends dictate the look and design of new buildings, the industry itself is also changing to better serve their customers’ changing needs. Trends among roofing contractors in the industry include using software to monitor maintenance schedules and are also using new technology like drones to make inspections safer and faster. 

If your company is planning for a new roof in the days ahead, make sure that your commercial roofing company is also up to date on all the industry trends. If you’re ready to get started, contact Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. today! Our team is experienced and ready to help.

Energy-Efficiency Tips for Commercial Roofs

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Commercial roofs protect buildings from weather and house important building equipment, but many people don’t know that roofs can also play a big role in making a building more energy efficient. With the right kind of roof, building owners can better insulate their building, improving energy efficiency and saving money each month on electricity bills. 

Here are a few common questions about energy efficiency and roofing:

What roofing material is most efficient?

The cardinal rule of roof energy efficiency is to use a lighter-colored roofing material. A white or light-colored roof will reflect the sun away from a roof, making the building easier to cool in the summer. 

The most efficient roofing material will vary from climate to climate but many different kinds of material can be painted white, including membranes and rubber that are commonly used on commercial roofs.

Are metal roofs efficient?

Metal is one of the most efficient roofing materials. The reflective material can help building owners save up to 40 percent on energy costs. Cool metal roofing uses a highly reflective coating to extend these energy savings even further. These materials are ENERGY STAR® rated for their superior energy efficiency capabilities.

Metal roofs also seal in temperatures excellently. Because metal is more durable than other materials, it protects the insulation that lies beneath it. This makes insulation last longer and perform better than with other types of roofing material. 

What roofs qualify for a tax credit?

Residential home improvements that include an energy efficiency element can usually qualify for a tax credit. Similar energy efficiency tax credits for commercial buildings expired in 2017.

The only tax credit now available for commercial roofs is through a general equipment deduction made available through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed in 2017. The particular type of roofing material doesn’t matter for this tax cut, and building improvements up to $1 million may be covered.

Will a new roof save energy?

The potential for a new roof to save energy depends on a number of factors, but it’s likely that a new roof will be able to deliver some energy savings. To maximize the energy efficiency for a new roof consider the following tips:

  • Choose a reflective material like metal to direct the sun’s rays away from the building.
  • Ensure that the roof provides proper ventilation.
  • Paint your roof a light color or coat it with a reflective coating.
  • Consider fasteners for solar panels or set up a vegetative roof.

To learn more about how to improve the energy efficiency of your commercial roof, contact Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal today.

What to Know About Energy-Efficient Roofing

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Does using “40 percent less energy for cooling” sound interesting? If so, you may want to consider energy-efficient roofing—a roofing industry technology that helps reduce energy consumption.

How Does Energy-Efficient Roofing Work?

There are a few different types of energy-efficient roofs, and they each work in different ways. For example, some commercial energy-efficient roofs are made with materials that reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere and protect the roof from UV rays. Other commercial energy-efficient roofs are green roofs covered with vegetation that absorbs sunlight and keeps it from reaching the roof itself.

What Are the Benefits of Energy-Efficient Roofing?

Saving money on cooling costs isn’t the only benefit you can get from energy-efficient roofing. Energy-efficient roofs are also more likely to last longer. Why? Rather than absorbing damaging sunlight and UV rays, energy-efficient roofs reflect them, reducing indoor cooling costs and preventing damage to the roof.

How Much Will You Save?

Energy-efficient roofs generally provide more savings in hotter climates. According to Energy.gov, “Cool roofs achieve the greatest cooling savings in hot climates, but they can increase energy costs in colder climates due to reduced beneficial wintertime heat gains.” If you want to know whether your facility is a good candidate for a cool roof, try this cool roof calculator or this roof savings calculator.

Should You Install an Energy-Efficient Roof?

Installing a brand-new roof sounds stressful—even painful, right? If you’re interested in achieving the benefits of an energy-efficient roof without going through the headache of tearing out your current roof and installing a new one, we have good news: Getting an energy-efficient roof might be less complicated than you think. You don’t have to install a completely new roof for it to be considered energy-efficient.

According to PowerScout, “A cool roof coating, comprised of pigments that reflect sunlight, can transform a standard roof into an energy-efficient roofing system.” If you’re looking for energy-efficient roofing materials, PowerScout recommends you “look for materials with a high solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Solar reflectance determines the amount of solar energy that a material reflects into the environment, while thermal emittance describes how readily a material releases absorbed solar heat.” Choosing a material that reflects as much sunlight as possible and releases as much heat as possible will allow you to maximize the benefits of energy-efficient roofing.

If you’re interested in installing a brand-new, energy-efficient roof or transforming your current roof to an energy-efficient one, we’d love to hear from you. Click here to learn how we can help you gain the benefits of energy-efficient roofing.