Four Ways to Save Money with Your Roof

A roofing system isn’t the most glamorous part of your building, but it’s one of the most important investments you can make. While the need of a quality roof is readily apparent, protecting your building envelope from the elements, many building owners and managers do not fully recognize that choosing the right system, with the right options, can greatly reduce your expenses and save you thousands of dollars. We’ll discuss four proven methods for saving money with your roofing system.

Insulation
Insulating your roofing system is one of the most ideal choices for any project and is used in approximately 60% of all new commercial construction applications. Installed under the membrane as a part of the roof assembly, polyiso insulation board offers high-energy efficiency through the highest ‘R-Value’ (a measure of thermal resistance) per inch versus other insulation materials. Choosing and installing insulation at a element of your roof assembly will save you thousands throughout the lifespan of your roof.

Reflective Coatings and Membranes
Dark covered roofing surfaces as significant contributors to the ‘Heat Island Effect’. Much of the heat generated by absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet radiation is also transferred to the building interior. In our hot Florida environment, this increases your demand for power as the air conditioning system labors to maintain a comfortable climate. Study after study demonstrates that a reflective membrane or coating, a ‘cool roof’, produces energy savings, a more comfortable work environment and more importantly, a sustainable roofing solution that can prolong the life of a roofing system with proper maintenance and eliminate the necessity for expensive roof tear-off and replacement.

Photovoltaics
Also known as a solar roof, takes the power of the sun and turns your roofing investment into an energy-producing asset. A photovoltaic roofing system will reduce your energy costs and your reliance on the utility grid, providing substantial savings. The result is a system that protects the building interior from the elements while generating power for its electricity needs. Not only can you save money on energy costs but often you can also sell excess solar power into the local electrical grid. With significant tax rebates and accelerated depreciation, photovoltaic roofing is revolutionizing your roof.

Preventative Maintenance
Perhaps the best way you can save money with your existing roofing system is with proper, proactive preventative maintenance. You chance the oil in your car right? Well, preventative maintenance for your roofing system is similar, and your roof is a much larger investment than your car. By fixing little problems before they become big one (and expensive), you can add years to the life of your roof, post ponding a re-roof operation, reduce maintenance costs and reduce the possibility of water intrusion and consequential damages. Visit www.myramcon.com/preventativemainte ance.htm to discover how much you may be able to save with Preventative Maintenance.

Conclusion
A roof is a basic necessity for buildings of every type. By using any of these proven steps (or combined for a multiplier effect), you have the ability to save thousands of dollars with your roofing system and may qualify for substantial local, state, federal tax benefits

El Niño: A Continued Presence

On July 9, 2009, scientists at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (www.NOAA.gov) have announced the arrival of El Niño, a climate phenomenon with a significant influence on global weather, ocean conditions and marine fisheries. El Niño, the periodic warming of central & eastern tropical Pacific waters, is expected to persist through this winter of 2009 and into the beginning of 2010. El Niño’s negative impacts have including damaging winter storms throughout Florida and across the southern United States. On the positive side, El Niño can typically help bring beneficial winter rain that our area doesn’t receive.

So what can you do to ensure that your property is protected?

First, get a roof inspection. It's easy to forget about your roof when it’s not Hurricane Season, but when leaks occur, you remember. Florida winters are extremely damaging to your roof because our extreme temperature chances, such as an 80º afternoon, a heavy rain and followed by a 40º morning. This expansion and contraction is destruction to the roofing system.

Second, check your drainage system. Debris and vegetation in your roof drainage system can cause it to backup, leak and create a dangerous weight load on the structure of your roof.

Third, consider getting your trees trimmed. Inspect trees on your property for potential hazards, like limbs that brush up against houses, or cracked branches that could break and fall during a storm.

For more information on El Niño, how you can be prepared and up to the minute monitoring, visit our El Niño homepage at www.ramconllc.com/elnino.htm

ANSI/SPRI ES-1 Compliance: It's The Law

ANSI/SPRI ES-1 is a Wind Design Standard for roof edge systems used with low-sloped roofing systems. More commonly referred to as ES-1, is now a legal requirement with its adoption by the International Code Council for inclusion in the International Building Code. It is a comprehensive standard that requires testing to ensure that roof edges have adequate wind resistance against wind loads for long-term performance.

The ES-1 metal edge standard was first developed by SPRI after hurricane Hugo (1989) and has continued to evolve as more is learned from the devastation of subsequent powerful hurricanes. The standard's purpose is to improve the longevity and safety of low-slope commercial roofs by incorporating quality edge metal systems, including fascia and coping. The ES-1 standard helps protect the building owner's investment by reducing the risk of edge failure, which typically results in the failure of the overall roofing system.

RAMCON is fully ANSI/SPRI ES-1 certified. Our computerized metal fabrication machines are fully tested and certified installation crews are trained to deliver the best installation. Every RAMCON job gets a permanent ES-1 Compliance Seal so you know you are protected by the industry’s best. Be sure to ask your contractor if they are ANSI/SPRI ES-1 Certified and ask to see their testing documentation.

Learn more at http://www.ramconroofing.com/es1compliance.htm

Free Webinar: Roof Warning Signs On January 20th

Next Free Webinar, January 20: Roof Warning Signs

Do you know the 'tell all' signs that your roofing system is deteriorating and may fail? Our professional team will share from our decades of industry experience and explain the roof warning signs, including:prevention, identification and action steps you can take to enhance, prolong and protect your roofing investment. Eliminate potential consequential damages and keep tenants/employees safe and productive with a safe and dry facility. This is a free webinar offered only by RAMCON.
We'll also discuss any questions that anyone may have and provide additional resources for all attendees

.
The webinar is Wednesay, January 20st, at 2:00pm ET.

Registration will begin on January 1st, 2010. Reserve your spot quickly as this Webinar will fill up quickly.

Roof Budgeting: We Can Help.

‘Educated Guess’, ‘Shot in the Dark’: Property Owners, Managers, and representatives alike have used these exact terms in describing their gut level feeling when finally arriving at the bottom line figure for the next year’s roofing budget. That is perfectly understandable given the fact that roof is constantly evolving and roof budgeting is not an exact science.

A common approach is to look at last year’s expenses and add 10% to 15%. But those nagging questions about each of your property’s roofs still beg for hard answers

1. Exactly what type and how many roofs are on each property?
2. Will the pace of needed repairs accelerate and how fast?
3. Are certain areas of the roof experiencing greater problems than others?
4. Were previously repaired leaks located in the field or at the flashings?
5. Is there trouble brewing up there and can it be prevented?
6. How many years will our roof last?
7. How much should we budget for emergency repairs?
8. How much should we budget for preventative maintenance, if necessary?
9. How much should we budget for roof replacement, if necessary?

As the leading Florida’s leading full-service roofing contractor, RAMCON will assist you in this process. We provide a comprehensive evaluation of each of your property’s roofs including the following:

• Core sample of each roof to determine existing assembly and the number of roof currently installed.
• Detailed, captioned photographs visually depicting the entire roofing system.
• Report of conditions of the field and flashing area of the roof.
• Professional estimates in years of the roofs remaining serviceable life.
• Exact figures for: Anticipated yearly maintenance, Preventative roof maintenance items, if needed, and their effect on lengthening of your roofs serviceable life and Roof replacement options and costs, if necessary.

A quality, accurate roof budget is an invaluable tool in your arsenal. We can help you feel more secure in the preparation and submission of your roofing budget. If our expertise in this area can be of assistance to you, to obtain a sample report showing you exactly what you will receive or to speak with owners and managers for whom we perform due diligence services, simply call us at (877) 726-2661 or email us at info@ramconroofing.com.

Preventative Maintenance: MyRAMCON Star Plan

A roofing system isn’t the most glamorous part of a building, but it provides protect for your most valuable resources including employees, tenants and customers. Truth is, in our hostile Florida environment our roofs take a beating. No you keep your car in good repair in order to achieve its best performance right? Well, maintaining a roof is very similar. Routine preventative maintenance conducted by specialized technicians trained to locate and prevent problems is the key to maximizing the value of your roof.

We’ve witnessed thousands of roofs fall short of their projected life and leave a devastating wake of consequential damages. Even more important, nearly every manufacturer requires inspections and routine maintenance in order to maintain the warranty (be sure to read yours).

• Free roof survey and detailed systems analysis report describing the condition of your existing system (voted best in the industry!)
• Annual, Semi-Annual or Quarterly roof inspections and inspection reports.
• Preventative Maintenance work including such roof-related items as base flashing at perimeter walls and roof openings, metal flashings, pitch pans, open laps, deteriorated surfacing and much more.
• Priority access to 24/7 emergency service crews on standby.
• Priority access to disaster relief crews.
• Full compliance With Your Manufacturers Roof Warranty
• OnlineMyRAMCON account providing you the ability to monitor your roofing portfolio online, anywhere, 24/7. Log into your portfolio and view features such as your latest roofing system analysis, life expectancy and warranty information. Plus, discover innovative solutions to enhance, prolong and protect your roofing investments for years to come.
• Additional benefits such as increased return on investment (ROI) of your roofing system, reduced litigative exposure, reduced maintenance costs and slashed consequential damages.
• Much, much more!

Join over 450 other facilities with active MyRAMCON Star Plans and reap the benefits above and much more. Get on board and protected today by calling toll-free (877) 726-2661 or by visiting online at www.myramcon.com