Top Commercial Roofing Industry Trends You’ll See In 2022

The commercial roofing industry is like any other. From time to time, certain trends crop up and are adopted by commercial building owners across the nation, especially when those trends provide tangible benefits to businesses. Though 2022 has just begun, several key trends in the areas of energy efficiency and aesthetics have emerged.

2022’s Most Important Commercial Roofing Industry Trends

Your business could benefit from commercial roofing industry trends depending on your needs, roof quality and size, and other factors. Let’s take a closer look at some of these trends in detail.

Green Commercial Roofs

Green rooftops for commercial buildings aren’t just eco-friendly, they’re literally green! Green roofs may be installed on commercial buildings with flat rooftops. Think of them as ultra-efficient gardens that provide several major benefits, including:

  • They’re aesthetically pleasing. What looks better than a green garden growing atop your company HQ or restaurant?
  • They may contribute to energy efficiency for your commercial building by keeping temperatures cool in the hot summer sun, so your HVAC system doesn’t have to run so hard.
  • They’re eco-friendly by definition and may reduce stormwater runoff.

Because of these benefits, green roofs are rapidly becoming more popular in urban areas, including many cities in the East Texas area. All in all, installing a green roof could be one of the best ways to make use of the empty space atop your commercial building.

However, because of their complexity, green roofs should only be installed by experienced commercial roofing experts. Green roofs must be installed while carefully accounting for drainage, aeration, and proper support based on a building’s structural limitations. Furthermore, many green roofs require ongoing preventative maintenance.

A commercial building roof with solar panels installed

Solar Paneled Commercial Roofs

Naturally, solar panel roofs are also becoming more common. Texas gets plenty of sunshine, and you can use that to your advantage by retrofitting your commercial building with solar panels. Solar panels:

  • May help you save money by providing electricity you can use for building operations (or, in some cases, help you make money by “selling” the excess electricity back to the grid).
  • May provide your business with tax breaks in some cases.
  • Will protect you against a power grid disaster. They may be one of the best ways to insulate your commercial building(s) against a repeat of 2021’s big Texas freeze.

Solar power isn’t going away. It’s the way of the future for both commercial and residential roofs alike.

As with green roofs, it’s best to hire experienced contractors, like Stonewater Roofing, to install solar panels on your commercial building’s roof. The right contracting team can make sure that your solar equipment is installed properly and safely for your roof and overall building structure.

The commercial roof of a Wendy’s restaurant located in the Longview, Texas area

“Cool” Commercial Roofing Designs

It’s always wise to make sure that your commercial buildings are kept cool against the sweltering Texas sun. That’s why many commercial building owners are looking to redo their roofs with “cool” improvements.

Cool roofs have reflective coatings layered over their base roofing materials and are useful in Texas and many other hot places in the U.S. Luckily, cool roof coatings come in a variety of light colors like white or blue. That way, you can coordinate the look of your cool roof with your commercial building’s existing style or aesthetic.

Light colors are much cooler than dark colors like black, which can reach temperatures of up to 150 degrees or even higher in the summer since they reflect more sunlight than darker colors.

When cool roof coatings are implemented, your rooftop will reflect more daytime heat. This can, in turn, reduce your commercial building’s energy bills and help your air conditioning units last longer.

Commercial Roofs With High-Performance Insulation

Energy efficiency is king for many commercial building owners. Who doesn’t want to save extra money and benefit from special tax credits? High-performance and high-density insulation for your roof lets you achieve that energy efficiency by conserving power and cool air inside your building(s).

When combined with cool roofing coatings or other adjustments, insulation helps ensure that your commercial building is more energy-efficient and comfortable for its occupants. Like many other commercial roofing trends, the right insulation will also last for years to come, so you can make a single modification over a few weeks or months and reap the benefits long term.

Use Of Recycled Materials

Lastly, commercial building owners and roofing contractor companies may opt to use recycled materials for new rooftops or roof repairs. For example, many roof material manufacturers now offer synthetic shingles made from plastic and rubber. To suit a business’ unique requirements, the shingles can be designed in a variety of colors, shapes, and aesthetic styles.

In addition to aesthetic flexibility, many synthetic roofing materials are more affordable relative to traditional material options.

Should You Follow Trends For Your Commercial Roofing Project?

Every commercial building is different, and every business has distinct needs. While trends can be important to notice — especially when you’re considering replacing or repairing your commercial roof — it’s also important to remember that not every trend is ideal for you.

For example, you may have difficulty determining whether you should install solar panels on your roof or choose another roofing modification instead. As the go-to roofing and solar panel installation experts for East Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler, and other areas, Stonewater Roofing can help you decide:

  • What roofing trends are right for your commercial building?
  • Which roof replacement or modification might yield the best benefits?
  • What roof modifications are within your budget?

Business owners just like you have trusted Stonewater Roofing for 11 years based on the quality of our workmanship, our years of experience, and our customer service. We offer free damage assessments and quality roofing services no matter your needs. Let us help you decide what commercial roofing trends you should follow by contacting us today!

Janie’s Cakes In Tyler Gets Clean New Commercial Roof

Many ingredients go into making the perfect pound cake. But without a building to work in, the team at Janie’s Cakes would have nowhere to whip up their delicious treats. That’s why it was important to them — and us — that Janie’s Cakes get the best possible roof for their kitchen and storefront in Tyler.

Janie Clapp and Katherine Crow are the mother-daughter duo behind Janie’s Cakes. While the company began decades ago, they did not move into their current location until 2009, repurposing the old Coats-McCain Lumber Company building on East Front Street. “It’s been here for a long time,” said Clapp. “I’m not sure when it was built. Twenties? Thirties?”

The roof had been leaking for a little bit, Clapp and Crow explained. They realized that it was time to find an honest and reliable roofing company to tackle the job. “We’d just finally gotten to the point where the leaks were a little too frequent,” Crow said. “I called y’all’s office and got a call back, and then Roland was over here, like, lickety-split.”

Crow is talking about Roland Browne, the founder and CEO of Stonewater Roofing, who personally addressed the Janie’s Cakes project. “Janie’s Cakes is iconic in the East Texas area, and they have a beautiful building that’s just a ray of sunshine to look at,” Browne said. “I’m so happy that we were able to get them covered with a strong and dependable new roof.”

“They were on it, very efficient,” Clapp said of the roofing process.

Crow was quick to echo her mother’s statements. “Efficient, prompt, on time, well organized,” she said. “Anytime we do a project, we like to improve upon it, and Roland had the same point of view. So, not only would our roof be replaced, it would be replaced with a better quality material. It would overall be more energy efficient and more durable. So, maybe we’ll gain another decade or so out of it.”

“I appreciate the fact, too, that they kept us informed,” Clapp said. “If something came up with our oven, our vent to go with that I mean, they talked it over with us. They just didn’t do something. They discussed what they were going to do.”

“It looks great. It’s clean. It’s definitely an improvement from what we had, and really thankful that it happened so quickly,” said Crow. “Great overall. I enjoyed the whole process. I would do it all over again.”

Crow even gave Stonewater Roofing the best compliment of all, comparing our commercial roofing knowledge to those yummy desserts that she and her mom make each day. “Y’all are experts in your field just like we’re experts at making cakes,” she added. True, but our roofs don’t taste so darn good!

Are you ready to protect and improve your business with a new roof? Contact us now to schedule a free damage assessment, and see for yourself why Janie’s Cakes and so many other companies in Texas and Louisiana are raving about Stonewater Roofing’s commercial services.