The booming North Texas economy has allowed commercial building owners and property management groups to consider re-investments in their holdings. Based on its completion of more than $280 million in roofing and waterproofing construction in the past 10 years, KPOST Company commercial roofing and waterproofing company has some suggestions for property owners and managers which will likely pay long-term dividends.
Spring is an excellent time to consider building infrastructure investments such as waterproofing, specialty installations, repair and maintenance, lightweight insulating concrete and commercial roofing. The highly-trained, safety-focused teams at KPOST are experts at executing any and all of these improvements.
Property managers can realize the best return on investment on two types of improvements. These are:
- Making the building more energy efficient and watertight
- Improving the air-quality and water-tightness of the building
By investing in construction projects which lead to these ends, the property owner or manager can not only realize a better ROI, but the building can earn LEED certification. According to its website, “The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, was formed in 2000 and has become a cornerstone in building standards and environmental concerns.” LEED certification is now mandated by many cities for all new building projects and extensive remodels or renovations.
How to Improve Energy Efficiency
According to the U.S. Environmental Agency’s “Energy Star” program, commercial buildings in the United States consume 17 percent of the nation’s energy at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. They also generate 17 percent of our country’s greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Even small reductions in this energy consumption can result in substantial improvements to a commercial building’s bottom-line.
“There are several areas where commercial property managers can make their building more energy efficient and watertight,” noted Scott Bredehoeft, sales manager for KPOST. “For example, additional insulation in the roofing system can substantially decrease the energy consumption of the building. This is true for both the summer and the winter.”
“Another tactic for energy savings is to use a white reflective coating for your roofing project,” he said. “This reflection is measured by the percentage of radiation that strikes the roof’s surface and is reflected away from it. If the energy is not reflected, it is absorbed and in the hot, Texas summer this means additional energy is needed to cool the building.”
“By covering the old roofing system with reflective coatings or film, it can become more reflective.,” he noted. “And this makes it more energy efficient.”
“Our clients have saved between 20 percent and 70 percent in the cost of energy by coating or recovering current roofs with reflective material,” Scott noted. “In many cases, the return on investment (ROI) was realized in less than 3 -5 years.”
Not only is this a smart investment in a commercial building, since coating the roof is recognized as a maintenance item by the U.S. Tax Code, 100 percent of this cost can be written off in the year the project is completed. This is another excellent ROI for the owners.
How to Improve the Air Quality of a Building
As noted in a previous post, one of the specialties of KPOST is waterproofing commercial buildings. This will result in making the building water and air-tight and it improves its energy efficiency. The waterproofing also helps to accomplish another valuable improvement: improving the air-quality of the building.
“Property managers know how toxic mold and mildew are for a commercial building,” Scott noted. “These conditions can dramatically impact the air-quality of the structure and result in diseases being spread among the people who work there. They can also result in costly clean-ups.”
“Waterproofing the building prevents moisture – either from leaky windows or condensation resulting from a combination of cold and warm air – from accumulating,” he said. “When the building is water and air-tight, the air-quality will be improved and the building’s inhabitants will be more comfortable and safer from contagious disease.”
Although the new reflective roof will reduce thermal impact to a building, properly waterproofing the structure will make it air-tight and reduce the cost of energy.
Savvy commercial property managers are always looking for ways to increase the return on investment of their properties and while nothing can be done about the North Texas weather, the experts at KPOST are here to help in that process. If you would like more information on improving energy efficiency and waterproofing your building, contact us.
