When you’re thinking about replacing a commercial or industrial roof, you’ll probably want to know about practical matters such as the cost of the project, the time it will take, the type of roof you need, but you won’t always think about factors such as ventilation. The way that the air circulates in, out and around your roof will make a huge difference to its condition, its lifespan, and will even have an impact on your bottom line in terms of total energy costs. It’s not simply a matter of adding some vents to your commercial roof either; it’s important to choose the right ventilation solution for your building, surroundings and the type of climate.
You’d probably be amazed at the nature and severity of the problems that poor ventilation in a building can cause, including excessive heat in summer, cold in winter, condensation, mould and mildew. A commercial or industrial roof that is poorly insulated and that has poor air flow can sometimes double the costs for heating and cooling within the building itself. This can lead to a building leaking excess greenhouse gas emissions into the air around it. Many older commercial or industrial roofs were also built with exhaust vents that simply allow air to leave the roof cavity. Most new roofs now combine exhaust vents with sophisticated intake vents, which allow a continuous flow of fresh air to enter the roof space. This means that the temperature will remain relatively stable within the roof, reducing the extremes and keeping your energy bills down.
Roofing contractors in Perth will recommend a ventilation system that will not only fit the requirements of the building but also its location and surroundings. For example, buildings located in areas of high humidity will require a specialised solution that can help avoid the condensation that naturally occurs in such areas. Ventilation can come in many forms – including natural, wind-driven and hybrid vents – and can be made up of traditional whirlybirds, ridge, eave and ceiling vents. Companies such as Bradford offer specialist ventilation systems for commercial and industrial projects – such as their Hurricane vent with vertical vane design, and their eco-friendly and cost-effective Edmonds ecopower ventilators which use less energy and work in all conditions, even if there is no wind at all. Products such as their egg crate grille can be used in a variety of projects such as factories, offices and public buildings, with the grille allowing heat to escape from within false or fixed ceilings.
When you are choosing between roofing contractors in Perth, you want to pick a company such as PRC Building Services that has years of experience consulting on, designing and building ventilation solutions for commercial and industrial projects in Western Australia. They understand that a good roof design and an integrated ventilation system can help to reduce your overall costs and help avoid the dreaded “sick building syndrome” that can come from having poor air flow within a roof cavity.