Preventing Heat Related Illness in Roofers

It’s the unofficial start of summer, causing many of us to daydream about having fun in the sun. But when you’re a contractor, the summer brings with it heat and humidity—and that’s no picnic. An excessively hot or humid work environment is not only an interference that can lead to fatigue and poor judgment and decision making, but it can be downright dangerous. Therefore, having a comprehensive heat-stress program is paramount.

Sufficient rest and proper hydration are key elements to any heat-stress program. Additionally, employees should avoid performing excessive outdoor physical activity prior to coming to work so as to avoid showing up at the job site in an already overheated and exhausted state. Despite warm weather, heat-related illnesses (heat stress, heat exhaustion, heat stroke) can be reduced by implementing effective programs.

Most importantly, employees should constantly monitor themselves and their co-workers for signs and symptoms of these illnesses, as immediate intervention is necessary when they’re observed. Here are the signs and symptoms of heat stress:

• Excessive sweating 
• Red, flushed skin 
• General body weakness 
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded 
• Nausea/vomiting 
• Headache 
• Muscle cramps in the hands and feet 
• Dark-colored urine 

To help avoid heat-related problems, make sure you have these countermeasures ready:

• Allow for breaks in air-conditioned areas. If AC is not available, find shade, cooler areas, and/or fans. 
• Drink plenty of decaffeinated drinks. Sports drinks such as Gatorade are preferred, as they will replenish lost electrolytes. Drink up to 10 8-oz. cups of water in an 8-hour shift. Be careful not to overhydrate. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink water. Thirst is a poor indicator of heat stress. Wet your hair, neck, and face as frequently as possible with water or a spray bottle. 
• To help prevent work-related heat illnesses from occurring, pay attention to the weather predictions. If excessive heat and humidity are in the forecast, ensure that countermeasures have been developed and are ready to be implemented.
• Allow new employees assigned to high-heat areas time to acclimate to the elevated temperatures and humidity.
• Finally, do not drink alcohol prior to coming to work and avoid caffeinated drinks in high-heat situations. Caffeine is a diuretic and actually causes people to lose water! 

By recognizing heat-stress signs and symptoms at their onset and following the above simple guidelines, you can help ensure that your employees will be safe on the job and minimize heat-related illnesses this summer season.

Why You Should Replace Your Roof in the Spring

If your roof failed to get you through the winter without problems, or if you’ve been putting off a roof replacement, now is the best time of the year to have a new roof installed. Spring is the best time of year to install a new roof, for several reasons.

Why You Should Replace Your Roofing in Spring

First, the season tends to offer very competitive rates from roofing contractors. The warmer weather also means the job will get done more quickly, saving you added money on labor costs. Finally, it’s also worth bearing in mind that certain roofing materials perform their best in spring, helping you get the longest possible lifespan out of your new roof.

Take Advantage of Roofing Market Tendencies. While market patterns vary from one contractor to the next, spring is generally a slower time of year. The arrival of warmer weather gives many people the impetus to put off necessary repairs until summer, giving them the added months to come up with the money needed to get the job done. Others scramble to address problems in the fall, in advance of the wild weather winter can bring. During the spring, many contractors experience lulls in business. In an effort to keep things rolling along, they may offer promotional deals and discounts. Competition for business intensifies, and best of all, you’ll generally have more choice when it comes to selecting a contractor, as companies that would otherwise be busy during the summer and fall may be available due to the springtime seasonal downturn. As an added bonus, contractors will usually be able to complete your roofing repairs or installation more quickly in the spring, since their resources aren’t depleted by a large backlog of jobs. Beyond the convenience, this can also save you money on labor costs, since the contractor will be in and out in less time. Moreover, contractors will usually be available to get started sooner; during busier times of year, you may have to wait weeks or months before the repair and installation processes can begin.

Enjoy Superior Performance from Your Roofing Materials. Many fundamental roofing materials, from adhesives and fasteners to shingles and wooden frames, are temperature-sensitive. If the weather is too cold or too hot, these materials may not perform optimally; the mild temperatures of spring create optimal conditions for installing a new roof while allowing the materials to settle before summer’s arrival. Trudel and Sons Roofing Offers Superb Workmanship. When you’re ready to replace your roof, call the licensed roofing experts at Trudel Roofing. We never take shortcuts and ensure every step is done right! We are a family owned and operated local Stouffville roofing contractor with more than 30 years in business. We specialize in roof repair and roof replacement in Ontario, and our work is 100% guaranteed.

White Roofing: Rising Demand Charges Make the Case

There has been much trade press the past year arguing how far south a black roof will yield energy savings. Their main point is that black roofing has a winter warming benefit. However, the winter sun in is generally not very warm, and many of the calculations assume that commercial buildings are heated with electricity, which is usually not the case.

So, what is the right roof color to help lower energy costs? Much of the modeling understates the case for white roofing, but electric demand charges are changing that perception, since they can increase an electric bill by three times. Whether you’re designing a building or managing a facility, it’s important to understand demand charges—and white roofing is one way to keep costs under control.

Utility companies have to worry about two things when supplying a region—how much power they have to supply each month or quarter, and how to manage peak demands. Think peak summer season, when everyone’s air conditioning is cranked up. If a lot of power is used one hot afternoon in July, the electric company will charge at a higher rate all month long. They focus on the high demand charges that occur in a short period of time and will penalize a building owner for it.

Let's look at two types of customers whose monthly power usage is 2,500 kWh, except one of them paid over three times more than the other. How is this possible? Let’s take a look at the math:

(Credit: Department of Energy)

Even though both customers used the same total power, Customer A used it within a short window of time and was charged $1,775. Customer B spread out their demand and paid just $515—a third as much.

Sounds convincing, but all bills aren’t that simple. In fact, they’re actually very complicated to figure out, since they often don’t even mention demand charges. Here's an example of how this looks on a typical utility bill:

Look closely at the “Time of Use Detail” section. There are three charges based on actual usage: peak, partial-peak, and off-peak times of the day. Below that is a similar set of charges based on the actual rate of use, where demand charges account for 45% of the total bill! This shows the importance of checking these charges, especially since they rise faster than base charges.

Demand charges are an electrical phenomenon, and will be largest during the summer months when AC usage is at its peak. However, there are ways an architect or building manager can combat these extra costs:

• Add additional insulation.   Since insulation saves on both summer and winter charges, it always generates an improvement, regardless of geography.
• White roofing can have its biggest impact in lowering peak demand and, therefore, in lowering demand charges. This is true even for well-insulated buildings.
• Time the start-up of load-intensive equipment (such as refrigerators and air conditioners) to prevent spikes, and of building energy management software to avoid simultaneous operation of HVAC units.
• Use a professionally installed cool, reflective roof such as a roof coating to reduce a building’s cooling needs and demand charges.
• For the building designer: by lowering AC demand with white roofs, the unit can be downsized. This will lower demand charges even further and reduce upfront capital costs—a true win-win.