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There’s no question that a decision to purchase a cool roofing system is a financially responsible one. Here’s a list of the obvious sources of savings.

– The working life of your existing roof will be substantially extended.

– Your energy costs will be fall significantly, particularly in summer.

– The full cost of the coating can be written off as depreciation on your taxes in the year of purchase, compared to multiple years for a replacement roof. 

In addition, a roof coating functions as a form of insurance, giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing your employees, equipment, and inventory are protected from the water damage that can result from a leak.

Those considerations would be enough to convince many potential purchasers — but wait! There’s more! Some utilities offer rebates and other incentives to encourage investment in roof coatings. A business can pocket a percentage of its expenditure – usually about 20% — while the utility can reduce the amount of power it has to provide during periods of peak demand.

If your state or local government or utility provider offers incentives of this kind, you’ll find it pays to act quickly. As roof coatings become more popular, some programs exhaust their funding quickly.

Tax credits for energy efficiency are offered by both the federal and Georgia state governments. Their principal goal is encouraging the use of renewable energy sources on residential properties, but owners of commercial buildings can also benefit.

These provisions periodically expire and have to be reauthorized, so if these incentives are an important factor in your decision to purchase a roof coating, you’ll want to see which conditions are currently in force. The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly run a program called ENERGY STAR that evaluates products for energy efficiency, and its website (energystar.gov) is a great source of information.

Another way to offset the costs of a roof coating is local government support. A growing number of cities are mandating cool roofing standards for commercial buildings with low-slope roofs. One of their goals is certainly to reduce strain on utilities, but they’re also concerned about the phenomenon of “heat islands” in urban areas, in which roads, parking lots, and roofs covered with asphalt absorb so much heat that the average temperature rises across the entire community.

To encourage businesses to make the transition sooner, the city of Chicago established a program that funded approximately 55 grants of about $6,000 each. Researchers who study the problem hope that other cities will do likewise as American urbanization continues to accelerate. More people moving to cities means more construction and more roofs that can either absorb the sun’s heat or reflect it. With that trend in mind, some cities and states are now offering incentives to builders to encourage sustainable construction, including the application of roof coatings to new buildings. 

While the cost of a roof coating may seem daunting initially, these tips can help to make the process more affordable for businesses of all sizes. You might experience some intangible payoffs as well. For example, a new roof coating can serve as a visual representation of your business’s commitment to environmentally sound practices.

It’s clear that government regulation of energy-efficient construction is only going to increase. It may be wise for your company to get ahead of the curve. The professionals at Energy Seal are ready to answer your questions and help you make the best decision for your circumstances.