Rated as the No.1 Hawaii roofer in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser‘s annual reader poll, Tropical Roofing and Raingutters Inc. has been serving Oahu homeowners and property managers for more than two decades. The company installs and repairs all types of roofing on homes, townhouses and commercial buildings, including composition shingle, wood shingle and shake, steel and aluminum standing seam, tile and elastomeric coatings.
Tropical’s raingutter services include on-site fabrication, repairs, cleaning, and designing and building raingutter systems. Tropical Roofing and Raingutters president Charlie Beeck, BIA Remodeler of the Year and past president of the Hawaii Roofing Contractors Association, said the roofing industry is addressing the increasing consumer concern about energy conservation with a variety of new technologies and products.
“One of the most efficient but often overlooked ways of reducing energy consumption in the home or workplace is the installation of a ‘cool roof,'” Beeck said. “Various types of roofing material on the market today have been Energy Star rated, meaning they reflect heat from the sun away from the house or commercial building, instead of absorbing it. When the heat is absorbed by the roof, it’s transferred to the interior. It makes sense that if you can reduce the heat in your house by installing a cool roof, you can cut down on air conditioning and save both energy and dollars. If you don’t have air conditioning, you will still enjoy a cooler home or workplace.”
The types of roofs that qualify as cool, according to the Energy Star rating system, are metal standing seam, aluminum standing seam, elastomeric coatings such as Polybrite, Polyglass cap sheet, and tile. The coatings and capsheet systems can be applied over existing roofs and are available in a variety of colors. The most popular, and generally the most economical roofing material, is composition shingle, which can lower the temperature 10 to 12 degrees inside the house and provide a lifetime warranty.
Beeck points out that some products stand up better than others given exposure to sun, rain, mildew and salt air. “Sun and rain create the conditions that can cause a roof in Hawaii to expand and contract several times a day. The roof is wet, and then the sun comes out and heats it up. This is hard on the materials, even the composition shingle that is the workhorse of our industry. The cost of the Energy Star rated roofing systems varies widely, but over time all are a wise investment because you don’t have to reroof as often, and they represent energy savings.
“I think the biggest thing in the next five years will be the use of energy-efficient roofing tied in with photovoltaics to generate electricity for the building. In residential applications, the payback period could be as much as 30 years, but for commercial structures, such as warehouses, it could be as low as four to 10 years. Roofing manufacturing companies and manufacturers of photovoltaic cells are entering into joint ventures to create roofing systems that incorporate photovoltaic cells. The roofers are being trained in installation by representatives from the manufacturers.”
Tropical Roofing and Raingutters offers a wide variety of roofing options for both new construction and remodels and provides free on-site estimates. To make an appointment with a roofing or raingutter specialist, call 847-0030.
TROPICAL ROOFING AND RAINGUTTERS INC.
contact // 847-0030
address // 94-078 Leokane St.
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