Archive for August, 2010
Sales Go Through the Roof with New Solar Roofing NVQ
Giving youngsters a chance to find a career in solar roofing, Ploughcroft Building Services in Yorkshire have developed a National Vocation Qualification (NVQ) to help set the standard across the UK for this type of work. As the solar industry is beginning to boom, this nationally recognized qualification is perfect for those wanting to find a job in solar panel fitting.
The British government has accepted the NVQ as they believe it will boost the roofing market in this new-age of eco home improvement.
Ploughcroft Building Services’ managing director Chris Hopkins bought the family owned business off his retiring father and set about a new direction for the company in eco-roofing. In Brighouse, Yorkshire Hopkins built an eco-roof center which offers demonstrations of the solar roof panels and explains how important and worthwhile they are.
The NVQ was developed by the company and is now available in 11 different colleges across the UK. Fortunately for Chris Hopkins, whose father was skeptical about the training course, the NVQ is becoming more and more popular with college-goers seeing the potential in the solar roofing field.
Under the government’s feed-in tariff, UK homeowners can receive up to £1000 cash back per year for the ‘clean energy’ generated by the panels. By harnessing the power generated, the return on their initial investment can be as much as 10%, which as Mr. Hopkins points out is “far higher than those interest rates given by high street savings accounts”.
With PM David Cameron having a wind turbine installed on the roof of his home, self-generated green technologies have increased dramatically across the UK and Ploughcroft has also seen a rise in their sales. “With the new cash back scheme, businesses, homeowners and community buildings have been contacting us in floods”, said Mr. Hopkins.
The firm is looking to take on extra staff over the coming months to deal with the demand. With the new NVQ and construction skills certificates, they can train the staff even further and aim to dominate the market.
Source:
http://www.yorkshirepost.com
Roof Tile Damage From Belfast Aircraft Double Whammy
In Belfast, N. Ireland, victims have blamed low-flying aircraft in not one, but two accounts of roof tiles being dislodged earlier this month . Dan Melrose, of Parkgate Drive was leaving his home at 10:05 pm on Tuesday, June 8th, when he heard an aircraft going overhead. As he looked up, a roof tile was heading his way, he tried to get out of its way but it caught him on the side of the head. Mr. Melrose was shaken, but immediately telephoned the airport to complain.
The airport responded immediately by sending out a contractor to asses the damaged roof and then made repairs to ensure no water damage would occur throughout the night.
The following day, Mr. Melrose, 47, received treatment for a pulled neck muscle. A representative at George Best Belfast City Airport confirmed that although the aircraft was not flying low, they repaired the roof as a sign of goodwill. Residents near the airport are frequently complaining of the noise pollution caused by the increased influx of aircraft which is becoming more apparent as more destinations are being served.
In a separate incident, Jean Wright, a 55 year old from Oval Court, blamed low flying aircraft for ripping off roof tiles and roof insulation. The airport has again repaired the roof and admitted liability, but stated that the aircraft were all flying at the correct altitude at the time of flying over Mrs. Wright’s bungalow.
Mrs. Wright’s neighbor was inside her own property at the time and said the noise from the aircraft was very loud. Debris from the roof then falling into both the bungalow’s gardens.
There has been an investigation launched into both incidents, carried out by the Belfast City Airport Watch resident’s group, of which Dr. Liz Fawcett is the chairperson. The Civil Aviation Authority will also look into the damages caused by the frequently noisy aircraft.
Ref: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
First Green Roof for Juneau Alaska
Juneau Alaska’s new downtown transportation center will be the city’s first building to get a living green roof. Being the first of its kind in South East Alaska, the 1,000 square feet roof will have sedums and native Alaska sea thrift. The greenery acts as insulation saving the city money on heating and cooling costs.
The roof was designed to be attractive and environmentally sensitive. The native plants selected are hearty and can survive heavy rains, draught and heat without much landscaping and will save on maintenance costs. The flowers will bloom at different times creating diverse views throughout the year. The plants are set in square trays and laid out in basket patterns on the rooftop. Although the roof is not accessible to patrons, it can be viewed from a neighboring 4 level parking garage and from nearby Telephone Hill Park.
The under construction transit center will have a waiting area for the bus line, concessions, restrooms and a police substation. Anchorage and Fairbanks Alaska are already implementing green roofs on some of their buildings.
Rooftop Venues
A new trend in the Unites States is using rooftops for more space at bars and restaurants. In parts of Washington DC, roof decks are becoming a real option for outdoor seating, for eating, and drinking. Also being able to seat and serve patrons who smoke.
The extra roof space brings in new customers who enjoy some of the breathtaking sights from the rooftop, for some restaurants touting as much as 80% of its business’s revenue. At least 30 new venues have recently opened in the DC area, according to a consumer review website Yelp.com.
One of the drawbacks is the noise complaints made by neighbors. The constant noise from the rooftop visitors can be bothersome. Communities are rightfully concerned about their right to a quiet environment. Some restaurant and bar owners are limiting the rooftop hours to be courteous to neighbors.
New Roof Types Challenge Claims Professionals
New building standards and changes in the roofing industry such as green roofs and new technology have insurance claims professional educating themselves to keep up.
Generally commercial roof losses are more expensive and more complex than residential; a lot of different styles and techniques are being used today. From the new white roofs, vegetative roofs as well as the more familiar built up roofing systems, thermo plastic roofing, spray applied polyurethane foam, and metal roof systems.
While the roofing industry is creating new roofing systems, with new materials and new processes, mistakes are being made, adding up to more insurance claims. Claims adjusters are learning how to determine normal wear and tear from covered losses
800 Year Old Roof Finial Found Beside Thames
A piece of muddy terracotta found on banks of the Thames River in England turned out to be a medieval roof finial. The animal shaped finial is believed to be up to 800 years old, some say it is an elephant, others say owl. The finial is expected to provide rare insight into the roofs of medieval London. Little is known since a fire destroyed much of the area’s landscape in 1666.
The ornamental finial would have decorated the ridges of tiled roof buildings in London and other large towns. The common roofs of the time would have been thatch.
The finial was found by amateur archeologists operating under the port of London authority and the Museum of London; they regularly search the beaches and mudflats for artifacts. The museum is conducting research to further their knowledge about the way London looked over 6 centuries ago. Experts will clean
and study the finial and their progress can be followed online at www.museumoflondon.org
Indiana Middle School to Get Solar Roof
An Indiana school board agreed on a $1.35 million bid for a solar roofing project for a Southwest Allen County district middle school. The new roof is expected to help reduce the districts utility costs. because of the roofs energy savings benefits, the federal government could contribute $600,000 to the cost pending approval of Performance Services paperwork.
The job will be completed by Performance Services, an engineering and construction company out of Indianapolis Indiana. Specializing in sustainable projects, Performance Services has estimated the district will begin saving $37,000 the first year the project is completed. The entire project is expected to pay for itself in approximately 8 years.
The cost includes the boilers and ventilators as well as a roof with solar panels that will generate electricity for the school. Performance Services have
included a dashboard that will reveal the exact energy savings, providing a valuable learning tool for the students and faculty.
Roofs Could Be Accountable for 40% of Europe’s Electricity
The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), has announced that building’s roofs could potentially generate two fifths of Europe’s electricity by 2020. The statement comes after a study on the potential space which the roofs on European buildings have and if they were fitted with solar panels or photovoltaics, they could soon take the brunt of non-renewable forms of generating electricity.
The total roof and facade space which could have photovoltaics fitted upon them is 22,000 sq km. If building adapted (BAPV) systems or building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems were used, this could generate an amazing 1400 kW-h of annual electricity.
Although BIPV systems are more costly than the adapted units, they can be made to be more versatile as they can also offer weather protection and heat insulation, rather than having existing roof materials such as tiles and slate, then having to fit solar panels above them.
In Italy and France for example, the additional cost of BIPV systems has been taken into account, and their governmental support systems. In France and Italy, BIPV systems account for around 30% of the solar panels fitted to buildings and residential homes yet in Germany or Spain for instance, BIPV only has 1% of the market share, while BAPV are much more prevalent.
The Secretary General of EPIA, Adel El Gammel said, “It is essential to put in place favorable conditions across Europe that will support a wide deployment of BIPV applications”.
If we take Spain for example, a country whose unemployment rate is at a phenomenal 20%, by developing BIPV systems it would not only support tens of thousands of local jobs but it would also put pressure and encourage the decentralization of the energy generation. This is a major factor which is currently not being looked at especially as new buildings are being pressured into being zero energy by the year 2020, according to Virgilio Navarro, EPIA’s vice president.
Ref: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com
Beach Huts Going Green
Blythe, in the north-east of England, is a popular place to visit for holidaying and weekend breaks. With expansive beaches that are wonderfully tranquil, it is no wonder that many people have their own beach huts lining the sea-shore.
A recent shift towards being ‘green’ in the north-east has seen the architects, ID Partnerships, design mini roof gardens on the beach huts. This has created a truly natural look for the jazzy colored beach huts. Being only 2.5m x 3.5m, the pitched roofs have had a custom made fitment of a single-ply waterproof membrane which resists damage from roots and is very durable.
The Diadem roof system has been affixed to the membrane and uses an array of plants called Sedum Acre. These are the most resistant to salty air, perfect for beach huts on the coast of the North Sea. There is a sufficient drainage system for run-off water and reservoir layers to keep some fluid in the roof system to keep the plants healthy. A customized roof trim has been added, which keeps the green roof in place and protected. The trim is also galvanized which will keep it from rusting or breaking down.
During the summer, Sedum flowers are bright yellow and will give a great contrast against the green foliage near to the sand dunes on Blythe beach. As with most beach huts, brightly colored doors are the order of the day and now with a fun, green, organic roof they look even better.
It currently seems to be a positive move by the architects, who used ICB roofing suppliers to carry out the work. The plan is to move further around the north east and hopefully roll it out across the UK, especially in areas such as Brighton on the south coast of England, where beach huts are even more popular.
Ref: http://www.greenroofstoday.co.uk
Storm Tears University of Phoenix Roof
A thunderstorm with high winds damaged the roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium (home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and the Tostitos Fiesta bowl) in Glendale Arizona this past Thursday.
The winds caused a piece of outer metal skin to flip up and puncture the white canvas like fabric that stretches across the retractable roofs steel girders. The holes allowed water and debris to fall onto the stadium floor. No one has reported being injured from the falling debris.
Stadium officials are still assessing the damage and how much repairs will cost. The Cardinals are set to open their preseason game at home against Houston on August 14th.
