Twenty-, thirty-, and even fifty-year warranties – the range of commercial roofing warranties available has increased significantly over the past few years. Does that mean a longer coverage period is automatically better?

Of course, you want a warranty that covers a reasonable period of time. Roofing systems are expensive. If the roof should fail, you should know whether the manufacturer will stand behind it.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a longer warranty is the one to choose. You need to evaluate the conditions the warranty covers and the steps you’re required to take to ensure that it remains in force. Some longer manufacturers’ warranties sound good, but as they say, the devil is in the details.

As a starting point, you’ll want to know whether the roofing installation must pass an inspection, often conducted by the manufacturer or an independent third part, before the manufacturer will issue the warranty. There is nothing wrong with having a newly installed roof inspected. However, you should know before the installation process begins if this is required in order to activate the warranty.

Some manufacturers require the building owner to conduct regular roofing inspections, and then to submit reports showing that the roof has passed the inspections. Virtually all manufacturers require roofing inspections and extra payments for warranty protection beyond the standard coverage period.

Other warranties require an initial payment from the building owner. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it helps to know this before you decide to use that manufacturer’s product.

Many warranties limit the amount to be paid if the roof fails. For instance, they may cover the replacement materials needed, but not the labor required to install the new roofing system. Contrary to conventional wisdom, many warranties do not cover the damage a building’s contents might sustain due to a roof failure.

In addition, damage caused by “acts of God,” such as hail storms or hurricanes, may not be covered under the warranty.

Building owners should also know whether they can transfer ownership of the roofing warranty if they sell their building.

Before purchasing a roofing system, building owners should be sure that the warranty offers a reasonable amount of coverage for a reasonable period of time.  When the choice is between a highly restrictive longer warranty, and a shorter one that offers better coverage, the shorter warranty probably will be a better value.

The term “green roof” has become narrowly defined in recent years to refer to “vegetative roof.” But “green roof” can also mean “sustainable roof” – one that provides long-term environmental benefits that building owners want roofing systems to deliver for their high-performance facilities: high reflectivity; recyclability; able to accommodate photovoltaic systems; able to help facilities obtain LEED credits; etc. This brief video discusses these benefits and more. For additional information about green roofing, visit www.whiteequalsgreen.com.

Our final installment in this series discusses the life-cycle costs of a roof. Any roof life-cycle discussion must take into consideration the factors covered in previous posts: price; quality; prefabrication; installation disruptions; ease of maintenance; performance; environmental impact. Each type of roofing system will vary on these factors, so it is important to compare your options in order to make the right roofing choice. Some systems are beneficial because they offer substantial energy savings; some are virtually maintenance-free but may cost more to install; others offer lower initial installation costs, but require the expense of tearing off the existing roof and/or regular maintenance once installed.

Clearly, investing in a new roofing system is a major decision that should not be taken lightly. Your choice can determine how long your roof will last, its performance, maintenance, etc. Make sure to research all your roofing options by visiting manufacturers’ web sites and getting their literature or look at independent industry sources – this ensures that you are educated in making the right roofing decision.

Finally, don’t be fooled by lower initial costs. An evaluation of the areas in the following list should help you estimate the real, long-term cost of any roof you are considering.

1. Installation
a. Roof product cost
b. Installation costs (labor & overhead)
c. Tear-off costs (if required)
d. Disposal costs
e. Building disruption costs
2. Long-Term Durability
a. Regular maintenance costs (over 20 years)
b. Roof replacement costs, if life expectancy is less than 20 years
3. Repairs
a. Roof repair costs (estimated over 20 years)
b. Interior damage repairs (estimated over 20 years)
4. Energy Savings
a. Estimated energy savings (over 20 years)
b. Energy rebates/incentives
5. Warranty
a. Cost for 15-year No Dollar Limit (NDL) warranty

Cool roofing and sustainable (or “green”) roofing emerged as separate, but closely related, commercial roofing industry trends about ten years ago. Today, both cool and sustainable roofing continue to gain momentum, and they are driving change in commercial roofing market dynamics, roof system design and manufacture, product innovation, industry initiatives, selection priorities, building codes, and legislation. They are also sparking a considerable degree of discussion, disruption, and controversy due to their ongoing impact on the commercial roofing industry.

The overall objectives of cool and sustainable roofing have become widely accepted as desirable, sometimes mandatory, criteria for the design, manufacture and selection of commercial roofing systems. Cool and sustainable roofing have both been embraced by a host of industry associations and government agencies, many of which are trying to define the “roofs of the future” – including:

• U.S. Green Building Council
• Green Globes
• ENERGY STAR
• Lawrence Berkeley
• Oak Ridge National Laboratories
• Single-Ply Roofing Industry Association
• RCI
• The National Roofing Contractors Association

As industry groups continue to develop universal definitions and objectives for cool and sustainable roofing, government agencies at the federal, state and local level are implementing more standards, regulations and incentives to encourage or mandate the use of energy-efficient and/or sustainable roofing systems. These actions, combined with simple but powerful economic factors, are creating increased demand for a new class of High-Performance Roofing (HPR) systems that can satisfy traditional performance criteria – such as installed cost, performance and longevity – as well as relatively newer criteria – such as life-cycle costs, energy efficiency, and preservation of the environment.

In our next installment, we will discuss the High-Performance Roofing trend.

Who is Responsible For What?

Once the building owner has officially hired a roofing contractor, he or she can take steps to ensure the relationship is a productive one. It’s important to clarify at the outset the events that are and are not covered by the roofing warranty, so that everyone is on the same page and fully understands its contents. In the past, some roofing manufacturers and contractors have been less than forthcoming about the scope of warranty coverage. In some manufacturer’s warranties, roof damage from acts of God and third parties, such as when a satellite dish installer screws the dish directly to the roof, are not covered. The building owner should be aware of these types of warranty issues

Prior to issuing a warranty, to ensure that each roof installation meets our standards, Duro-Last’s Technical Representatives perform an evaluation consisting of four elements:

• Quality of the welding.
• Quality of the detail work.
• Contractor’s adherence to specifications such as for roof attachment and sealant requirements.
• Overall aesthetic quality of the job.

It’s important to identify the responsibilities of the manufacturer, the contractor, and the building owner once the roof has been installed and the warranty has been issued. With some roofing systems, the contractor is responsible for making repairs covered under the warranty for the first two years after the roof is installed, while the manufacturer is responsible for any warranty work for the duration of the warranty period.

Similarly, the building owner or facility manager should be aware of his or her responsibilities in upholding the warranty.

For instance, some warranties require the building owner to report any roof leaks within 30 days so that the leak can be repaired before the interior of the building is severely damaged. The building owner should also ask the contractor about charges involved in performing any repairs (including potential premium charges for “after hours” work), and the amount of time typically needed to respond to emergencies.

As with most business partnerships, knowing what to expect upfront makes a project run much more smoothly.

Regulatory Mandates

The obvious benefits of cool roofing systems have resulted in many federal, state, and local government initiatives designed to encourage or mandate their use.

Below is brief overview of Federal Energy Management Policy and Mandates. The full overview can be found here.

National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA)

Signed into law in 1978, NECPA serves as the underlying authority for Federal energy management goals and requirements. It is regularly updated and amended by subsequent laws and regulations and is the foundation of most current energy requirements.

Section 543 of NECPA required a reduction in Btu/GSF of 20 percent by 2000, life-cycle cost methods and procedures, budget treatment for energy conservation measures, incentives for Federal facility energy managers, reporting requirements, new technology demonstrations, and agency surveys of energy-saving potential.

Section 102 of EPAct 2005 re-established energy reduction requirement for Federal buildings. The requirement uses a base year of fiscal year (FY) 2003 and requires reductions of 2 percent per year in energy use per square foot, leading to a 20 percent reduction in FY 2015.

In 2007, President George Bush signed Executive Order 13423, strengthening Federal environmental, energy, and transportation management. Section 2 of the Order set more challenging goals than EPAct 2005, requiring a 3 percent reduction in energy intensity per year and leading to a 30 percent reduction in 2015 compared to the base FY of 2003.

Also in 2007, President Bush signed the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2007 (EISA). EISA adopts the energy intensity reduction goals of Executive Order 13423 beginning in FY 2008 with a 9 percent reduction and increasing to a 30 percent reduction in FY 2015.

Click the links below for more detailed information.

Energy Policy Act of 1992

Executive Order 13221

Energy Policy Act of 2005

Executive Order 13423

Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007

Cool Roofing is a Win-Win Energy Management Strategy

Most building owners don’t need regulation to recognize a good thing when they see it. Even without regulatory mandates, PVC and TPO cool roofing systems have been the fastest growing commercial systems in America since the late 1990s. Many utility companies now offer rebates for using reflective roofing systems. These rebates – which can amount to several thousand dollars on large roof installations – are offered nationwide, not just in southern climates.

Best of all, cool roofing is a rare example where there are really no cost or performance tradeoffs for selecting an energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly system. The best single-ply cool roofing systems protect buildings from the rain, sleet, and snow just as well, or better, than alternative dark-surface roofing systems, and they can also play an important part in the energy management strategies of smart building owners and managers.

This is the last in a series of posts discussing the various associations that benefit roofing manufacturers, contractors, and other industry professionals.

SPRI

The Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) is a recognized technical and statistical authority on single-plies, representing sheet membrane and related component suppliers in the commercial roofing industry. SPRI provides a forum that enables members to collectively focus their expertise and efforts on critical industry issues. By acting as a trade organization, the group can effectively improve product quality, installation techniques, workforce training, and other issues common to the industry.

Since 1981, SPRI has been a resource for building owners, architects, engineers, specifiers, contractors, and maintenance personnel, providing information about commercial roofing components and systems.

USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education through its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.

The LEED system is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy-efficiency, materials and resource selection, and indoor environmental quality.

LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) have demonstrated an understanding of green building techniques, the LEED Green Building Rating System, and the certification process.

VI

Founded in 1982, the Vinyl Institute (VI) is a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, vinyl additives and modifiers, and vinyl packaging materials.

VI advocates the responsible manufacture of vinyl resins; life-cycle management of vinyl products; and the promotion of the value of vinyl to society. The VI has produced a number of publications addressing the environmental aspects of vinyl products, including roofing systems. Environmental Profile: Vinyl Roofing Membranes is available at this link.

Statement:  “PVC is the largest source of dioxin, the most poisonous chemical on earth.”

The facts: There will always be dioxin present in the environment because the most common sources of dioxin are natural contributors such as forest fires and volcanoes. When it comes to man-made sources, PVC doesn’t even show up on the radar screen.

Dioxin is created during incomplete combustion of any material – even wood burning in a home fireplace. According to the EPA’s inventory of dioxin emission sources, total dioxin emissions dropped from a toxic equivalent (TEQ) of 13,949 grams in 1987 to 1,106 grams in 2004. The top four man-made sources are:

Backyard barrel burning                 56%

Land-applied sewage sludge        6%

Residential wood burning              5%

Coal-fired utilities                             5%

Vinyl is one of more than 20 sources that make up the “other” category. Individually, vinyl is less than 0.4% of the total – that’s less than 5 grams throughout the entire United States. Even if vinyl was not being manufactured and used daily in myriad essential and lifesaving products, the levels of dioxin in the environment would be essentially unchanged.

Let me know what questions or negative statements about PVC that you have been faced with and we’ll address them here. Email me at dballens@duro-last.com.

Anna Hernandez - Corporate Accounts Coordinator

Anna Hernandez joined Duro-Last® in 2004 as Marketing Account Coordinator and recently moved into the position of Corporate Accounts Coordinator, working out of the Duro-Last’s Headquarters in Saginaw, Michigan. She is responsible for identifying new corporate account opportunities, and primarily focuses on companies that implement sustainable roofing in their portfolios. Once a potential account has been identified, Anna works to coordinate the bid process on those opportunities. Ann also works with Duro-Last’s Regional Sales Managers to develop specific corporate account sales strategies for their territories.

Working with lots of different people in the roofing and facilities industries from all across the country, Anna is constantly learning new things. She enjoys being a reliable, “go-to” person that helps get things done by networking and connecting the Duro-Last sales team with facility managers, portfolio managers, and decision-makers that can benefit from our Corporate Account Services.

“Over the past four years I have worked with great people and gained great insight into the construction and manufacturing industries,” said Anna. “Because Duro-Last is a growing mid-sized company, I have been able to utilized my experience and skills to the fullest without being restricted to just one specific function.”

The drive for environmentally-friendly products extends to the commercial construction arena, including roofing systems. In this post, we will discuss some of the energy aspects of roofing: reflectivity, emissivity, and the solar reflectance index.

Environmental Impact – Part B

Rooftop reflectivity has received substantial attention during 2009, perhaps most notably in Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s remarks recommending that the world’s roofs be painted white. The upshot is that a roofing material’s ability to reflect solar energy has environmental implications, including its contribution to (or mitigation of) the urban heat island effect and impact on emerging carbon markets, among others. In fact, a roofing system’s energy efficiency is really determined by a couple of interrelated attributes.

Reflectivity (technically, albedo) is the percentage of solar energy reflected by a surface. The higher the reflectance value, the more solar energy that will be reflected from the surface.

Emissivity is the measure of how effectively a material sheds the heat it has absorbed. Materials with a high emissivity value may absorb energy easily, but they also radiate large amounts of it back into the atmosphere.

Roofing systems that provide both high reflectivity and emissivity are most likely to have a significant impact on a building’s energy cost. Some systems can reduce a building’s energy consumption by up to 40%.

The solar reflectance index (SRI) is a tool that evaluates reflectivity, emissivity, and other factors to determine a roof’s overall ability to reject solar heat. Its calculation is defines by ASTM E 1980-01 and is based on a formula that includes values for solar absorptance, solar flux, emissivity, the Stefan Boltxman constant, and other coefficients.

Standard black (reflectivity 5%, emissivity 90%) has an index of 0, and standard white (reflectivity 80%, emissivity 90%) has an index of 100. Very “hot” materials can actually have negative values and very “cool” materials can have values greater than 100. Materials with the highest SRIs are the coolest choices for roofing.

The Duro-Last Cool Zone® roofing system, a PVC membrane, has initial reflectivity and emissivity measurements of 87.5% and 95%, respectively, and a resulting SRI value of 108.

Here are the SRIs of some other roofing materials as measured by Lawrence Berkeley Labs and the Florida Solar Energy Center: