A roof that stays pristine and functional through all seasons is a must for any business. Leaky, damaged roofs can interrupt your business and damage equipment and merchandise, causing a great deal of monetary loss. Businesses need roofing systems that can help them prevent leaks, ensure longevity and improve energy efficiency.

Finding a perfect roofing solution for your business requires a radically different approach than selecting and building a residential roof. Commercial and residential roofing systems have vast differences in their tasks, scale and purpose.

The major types of systems for commercial roofing include:

1. Multiple-ply roof systems: These are Built-Up Roofs (BUR) and are widely used to cover large and flat buildings such as supermarkets. Some materials for these roofs include modified and traditional bitumen.

2. Steep Pitch Roofs: This type of roofing is set at a pitched angle, like a traditional single-family house roof, but typically much larger. These roofs come in a wide variety of materials including metal roofing, 3 tab shingles, asphalt shingles, tile roofing, cedar shingles, wood shakes and slate shingles and more.

A number of commercial roofing solutions have found great popularity in recent times due to their efficiency to use the roofing space and regulate energy charges, such as:

Thermoplastic roofing or TPO: TPO is one of the more widely used business roofing systems. TPO roofing uses highly durable materials with low-temperature suppleness and is greatly tolerant to high temperatures. These roofs can have a lifespan of up to 20 years and are resistant to fire, puncture, ultraviolet radiation and other types of damage.

Photovoltaic panels: With ever-increasing energy prices, there is a great need for an eco-friendly and viable roofing solution. Solar panels absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. If your business has a large flat roof, it’s highly recommended to install photovoltaics that will offset some of your power use and cut down on energy bills.

Green roofs: In recent years, green roofs have gained great popularity as an environmentally-conscious and human-friendly roofing solution. Green roofs are roofs that are partially or completely covered with vegetation, which is planted on a sophisticated waterproof membrane. Green roofs are not just an aesthetic choice – the waterproofing, soil and plants themselves provide a great improvement to insulation, helping regulate the heat and cold throughout the seasons and helping you save on energy costs.

White reflective roofs: White roofs are greatly beneficial for residential as well as commercial set ups, and there has been a large-scale push to adopt white or light-colored roofs as a relatively low-cost way to reduce building energy use, especially in warmer climates. These roofs absorb less heat than dark roofs, keeping buildings cool and greatly reduce the need for air conditioning.

A professional, experienced and reliable roofing builder will take the time to explore the needs and requirements of your business, and will provide you with business roofing that is right for you. When looking for a trusted and reliable installer of commercial roofing, beware to go through the profile of the roofing firm in order to avoid a shoddy job on your roof.