Here at the tail end of summer, you’ve probably seen your utility bill skyrocket due to increased use of air conditioning and fans. If you happen to manage a building with an HVAC system, this has probably been on your mind even more so. Something that people rarely think about is the fact that the physical makeup of their roofs has a direct effect on the internal temperature of the actual building. Since we offer roof repair services in Toronto, we like to consider every little aspect of how your roof affects your quality of life, and as such very few things related to roofs escape our attention.
You may have noticed that most roofs on big buildings in downtown Toronto are flat (slightly sloped actually) and black. While this has become industry standard, it is actually incredibly inefficient. The truth is that a black roof absorbs so much heat from the sun that it can become eighty degrees hotter than the ambient temperature (in Fahrenheit). Gravel is more efficient: it still gets hot, but not extremely so. A white, reflective coating is the absolute best, reflecting the sun’s heat and minimizing the the load that is placed on the overworked air-conditioning unit. Especially if your A/C box is on the roof, it is inefficient to have a black roof, since it will make it much more difficult for the requisite heat exchange to occur.
Here at Professional Roofers in Toronto, we offer flat roof services for any kind of building, and we don’t mind telling you that installing reflective, water-proof coating on your roof can save you all kinds of headaches and money. Roof coating is a terrific way to extend the life of your roof, and most roof coating products can be purchased with a five-year or a ten-year warranty. Just because the status quo is flat black roofs, doesn’t mean you have to conform.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded that high albedo roofing can reduce the temperature inside of a building by up to five degrees Fahrenheit and save you up to fifteen percent on your utility bill. This is pretty amazing. What’s more, this particular type of coating is primarily used to waterproof flat roofs against pooling water that will often collect and create erosion and leaking. The reflective qualities are an added bonus!
This type of coating can be applied to roofs of almost any kind: PVC, metal, foam, concrete, modified bitumen. If you are considering applying roofing coating, you will first have to undertake any serious repairs that need to be tended to, and then power wash the roof so that you are not sealing in grime and muck. If you need roof repair services in Toronto and the GTA, we can certainly offer our friendly, reliable expertise. Since we specialize in flat roofs, we are also extremely well acquainted with the application of this coating, which is much less involved and costly than replacing your entire roof.
Lucas 8000 silicone coating is the best known version for this process, it basically adds a reliable shield to your roof to give it a greater lifespan and protect it against the elements. Furthermore, it is extremely breathable, so that the ventilation process can still occur, preventing mold from developing.