Residential roofing customers are able to save big money on their roofs by installing high-efficiency roofing materials, but often times commercial roofing companies in Salem are able to save businesses non-trivial amounts of money on their monthly energy bill payments by installing the proper insulation and reflective roofing materials. When businesses are no longer forced to choose between the comfort and happiness of their employees, and having to pay high energy bills for heating and cooling, everyone wins.
How much of a difference can installing the proper insulation and a reflective roof make in heating and cooling costs for my business?
At the end of the day, most companies care immensely about their bottom line: profitability. That said, many of our commercial roofing customers ask us about the cost savings they might hope to achieve with proper insulation and a reflective roofing option. While your mileage may vary, many of our customers have seen savings of hundreds of dollars per month. Years ago, one of the most popular types of commercial roofing in Salem was flat, hot asphalt roofing. Asphalt took the industry by storm because of it is relatively cheap to install, and it isn’t overly complicated to install either. However, even with more reflective granules coating the asphalt, they don’t perform nearly as well as single-ply, white, reflective roofs.
White single-ply roofing membranes offer some of the highest solar reflectance available, and it is easy to install on top of revamped and revised rooftop insulation that meets Salem’s (Zone 4) R-Value requirements from Energy Star. With the proper R-Value insulation and great solar reflectance, research from the Department of Energy found that commercial buildings can save $0.20 per square feet in energy costs each year by installing a cool roof. The average commercial building built in the 2000s is approximately 19,000 square feet, so an average sized commercial building can save $3,800 per year, or $316.67 per month in heating and cooling costs by switching to a more energy efficient cool roof.
There are other benefits to consider, aside from the sheer energy cost savings.
Research from CareerBuilder, featuring a survey of 4,285 full-time U.S. workers found that 22% of employees are less productive in workplaces that are too hot, and 11% of employees are less productive in workplaces that are too cool. Don’t use this as an excuse to go dial down the thermostat, however, because in 2006, Helsinki University researchers found that workers were most productive with the thermostat set to 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This optimization isn’t for nothing– the research found that employers save about $2 per employee, per hour in productivity with the temperature set at an optimal level. If you have 50 full-time employees, $2 per hour comes out to $24,000 per month worth of productivity, give or take. One of the benefits of installing a cool roof on your commercial building is that you can heat (or cool) your building to the optimal 71.6 degrees more affordably. You can get the most out of your employees, while at the same time saving money on your heating and cooling bills.
Oregonians care about their environment. In addition to doing your part to keep the planet clean, your employees will be happier working at your company if they get the sense that sustainability is included in the company’s values. Research by Charlton College of Business shows that a company’s financial performance has no correlation with employee happiness, but “going green” had a definite, positive impact on employee satisfaction. Happy employees work harder. You could get a boost from your employees by teaching them about your company’s efforts to minimize environmental impact. This gets back to our point that everyone wins with cool roofs.
If you’re looking for commercial roofing companies in Salem to install a new, high-efficiency roof, look no further. Slate & Slate Roofing has installed millions of square feet of efficient roofing materials, and has received many manufacturer commendations for their work. Give us a call today at (503) 585-2338 for an estimate.
