If you own a business or manage a commercial property, you’re probably keenly aware of just how much overhead your energy bills can be every month. Keeping the lights on, air conditioner running, and your computers and data centers all operating correctly can get expensive quickly, and that can put a deep gash into your profit margins every month. This is one of the primary reasons why many businesses switch to solar power. While solar also helps to ease the conscience of those who are environmentally-protective, it’s no secret that the majority of these installations are done with long-term financial benefit in mind.
Solar panels are almost all mounted on rooftops, as they are usually large, completely unused, and usually see long hours of direct sunlight every single day. Between that and the fact that panels can be large and take up an abundance of space when mounted anywhere else, these conditions make rooftops the most productive place to mount a solar panel array. However, there’s a catch—installing solar panels involves mounting them on a variety of mechanical mounting hardware, and that means installing them could actually be causing more trouble for your roof than you initially thought.
Ease of Installation
When installing solar panels over a different type of roofing material, you could face a variety of different challenges trying to work around the material. While experienced installers are skilled at avoiding damaging your roof, the truth is they aren’t usually perfect, and small mistakes could lead to big trouble for your roof. Spray foam on the other hand is particularly easy to work around, and installation is a breeze with it. You’ll be able to do everything from install a new system to work on your existing one without too much of a hassle.
Weight Benefits
Solar panels are constructed from a number of different materials, including metals like aluminum or stainless steel, plus a thick sheet of glass and several more as well. That means solar panels are actually quite heavy. While one solar panel may not seem like all that much, enough solar panels to generate enough energy for your business can weigh a lot. When you combine solar panels with their mounting hardware, inverters, attachment devices, wiring, and all the other components needed, you’re actually adding quite a bit of weight to your roof. If your roof isn’t built to handle it, you could be in for a rude awakening.
Spray foam is a match made in heaven for these situations because spray foam is extraordinarily lightweight. Spray foam adds less than a pound per square foot to your roof, which means that your entire roof may weigh significantly less than your entire solar energy system combined. Compare that to a gravel-based built-up roof which weighs an average of five to ten pounds per square foot, and it’s easy to see how the weight savings could be extremely beneficial.
Insulation Benefits
Spray polyurethane foam roofs (or SPFs) are usually white in color, and that makes them reflect far more of the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere. Likewise, polyurethane spray foam is a type of closed-cell foam, which means there are microscopic cells of air running throughout the material, which provide extra insulation and reduction of heat as it tries to pass through.
For those who are trying to cut down on environmental impact, that means significantly reduced unwanted heat intrusion into your building. Spray foam roofs can be dozens of degrees cooler on a sunny day, and that means you’ll use less energy and double-down on your environmental savings!
Find out more about installing a spray foam roof on your business! Call Lyons Roofing at (520) 447-2522 and talk to our Phoenix commercial roofing installers today.
Facebook: Considering switching over to solar? Spray foam may be the perfect roof choice for you! Find out why spray foam is quickly becoming such a popular and eco-friendly choice on our blog.
