Can I get energy support for roof renovation?

The roof of many industrial halls, premises, schools, offices or other buildings causes problems, leaks, is difficult to repair or has already reached its end. At the same time, buildings are hot in the summer, the energy efficiency of buildings should be improved and it would be nice to have self-generated electricity by installing panels.

What if I told you that all of these can be solved, that the solution can be obtained significantly cheaper than a conventional roof repair, and to top it all off, if done correctly, the whole thing will be eligible for Business Finland’s energy subsidy (provided the property meets the other energy subsidy conditions). It almost sounds too good to be true.

The flat roof of an industrial building has been coated with white CoolRoof. After the coating, it has been significantly cooler inside.

The story of energy roof renovation begins on LinkedIn

The story of this whole thing, which we call energy roof renovation, begins last summer. I am sitting on the terrace of my house in the almost painfully hot August sun, making customer calls. I am browsing LinkedIn and an interesting contact from a person who runs a company specializing in roof coating catches my eye. I think it would go well with the panels and send a contact request to Manu from Top-Pinnoituksen.

It’s not long before we find each other on the phone having a long and very enthusiastic discussion about a new type of light-reflecting coating that simultaneously cools the roof of a building, improves the building’s energy efficiency, puts an end to problems caused by roof heating and, on top of that, improves the yield of the panels.

Due to the hectic late summer and autumn, we didn’t get around to deepening this collaboration a bit. During the winter, we managed to return to this whole thing. So I’d like to introduce the Energia Roof Renovation, a collaboration between Energio and Top-Pinnoiting, which combines the revolutionary CoolRoof coating and solar panels.

Up to 70 degrees cooler roof in summer

At the heart of energy roof renovation is a new type of CoolRoof roof coating, which gives the roof an additional 25 years of life without dismantling the roof and, in which the roof of the building is coated to reflect up to 85% of the sunlight back, depending on the color of the coating. Reflectivity means that a significantly smaller part of the sun’s thermal energy can be absorbed by the roof. In this case, the roof heats up much less. For example:

• The temperature on an uncoated felt roof can reach up to 90 degrees in summer
• The temperature of the tin roof is often 60-70 degrees
• A CoolRoof coated roof stays at 20-30 degrees

By staying cool, several problems caused by roof heating, thermal movement and water tightness are eliminated:

• In felt roofs, the felt does not start to bubble or gasify
• The roof seams stay in place significantly better and do not start to crack
• The blanket does not become soft.
• Rusting stops when the roof is sealed
• It does not heat the building or its structures, which reduces the building’s cooling costs and improves working or living comfort.

CoolRoof coating should not be confused with conventional polyurea coatings. It is significantly more elastic and UV-protected, meaning it does not need to be painted.

The roof was in poor condition at the start. Normally, the roof would have had to be completely replaced if it had involved significant demolition work, protecting the suspended ceiling during the renovation, and installing a new roof.

However, by treating the problem areas and resurfacing, we were able to avoid dismantling the old roof. The whole thing was considerably faster and easier. Therefore, no scaffolding or other structures that would interfere with living comfort were needed. The roof will also be considerably easier to maintain in the future. Residents have received a lot of praise for the coolness in the apartments.

Increases the yield of solar panels

In addition to all its excellent properties, CoolRoof has another trick up its sleeve. Thanks to its reflectivity and the fact that the roof stays cooler, it significantly increases the yield of solar panels. For example, the increase occurs as follows:

• The roof area around the panels reflects solar radiation onto the panels from many directions, as if the panels were installed on a salt desert or using mirrors.
• Due to the reflections coming from many directions, double-sided glass-to-glass panels can be used, especially in flat roof areas where the underside of the panel remains visible due to the structure of the racks. According to studies, reflections from the back side can increase the yield of the panels by up to 25% on so-called normally reflective surfaces such as sand.
• The roof under and around the panels stays cool, which keeps the panels cooler. Panel heating is one of the biggest factors that reduce system efficiency.

In practice, this creates a payback period for energy roof renovation, unlike for conventional roof renovation.

Double-sided solar panels absorb reflections from the roof surface, ground, clouds and snow. The CoolRoof coating works as if the panels were installed on a snowfield.

Summary

When combining CoolRoof coating and solar panels in an energy roof renovation, the roof is given an additional 25 years of life at a fraction of the price of a roof renovation, while at the same time increasing the yield of the solar panels by up to a third due to reflection and keeping the roof cool. The coating also reduces the heating of the roof, putting an end to problems caused by heating. As a result, cooling costs are reduced and indoor comfort increases. When the coating and panels are purchased at the same time, the whole thing is eligible for Business Finland’s energy subsidy, as long as the other conditions for the energy subsidy are met.

The coatings are made by Top-Pinnoitus, a company that specializes in coatings and has extensive experience. Photos by Top-Pinnoitus.

If you feel that Energy Roof Renovation could be the right solution for your property, please contact us.

Vesa Robertsson

0407231191

vesa.robertsson@energio.fi