How New Technology Might Influence Roofing in the Future

Take a look around you and you'll see that we're living in a rapidly changing world. Technological advances are happening every day affecting the way we live, the way we work, the way we get from A to B. If we're not shopping online then we're using our smart phones to pay for goods in the shops, or GPS to locate the nearest restaurant. The physical and the digital worlds are getting ever more fused together with technology infiltrating everything we do. And the roofing industry is certainly not immune from this advancement.

So how will new innovations and the big breakthroughs in technology impact on the roofing industry? We take a look at how the future of roof construction and maintenance may be influenced through these advancements.

The Drive toward Energy Efficiency

Innovations in the roofing industry over the years have tended towards areas of cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency such as the increased use of long-lasting, sustainable or recyclable materials. And it's sure to be a driver in the future as homeowners strive to bring carbon neutrality to their properties and cut down on the major costs incurred heating and cooling our homes.

Across the UK we already see an increasing number of solar panels adorning the roofs of many a suburban home. With the development of ever more discreet PV units, this is a trend set to become the norm on future roof tops. Panels which look like roof windows and solar PV tiles which fit seamlessly alongside traditional slates are gaining in popularity and likely to feature as standard material on the sustainable roofs of the coming years.

Other fixtures to look out for upon the roofs of the future from an energy saving perspective might be the increased use of solar water heating. Solar heating tubes or plates fixed to the roof, absorbing the sun's heat and using it to warm the water in the house, cutting down on the excessive use of the boiler and further aiding reductions in energy costs.

Energy savings is going to play a key role in the equipment and construction of roofs in the coming years, aimed at managing expenses as well as the moral impetus to make homes more eco-friendly. Using the roof to harness the power of the sun seems an obvious step to take. Solar energy to, at least in part, provide energy to the house and even the installation of things such as sun tunnels, installed into the roof to utilise sunlight to provide natural lighting in darker areas of the house €“ cutting the reliance of electric lighting, is a very real prospect for the future.

Aerial Photography or Drones in the Roofing Industry?

The introduction of drones for practical use in the private sector is already happening in some areas of the construction industry; used for overhead analyses of sites and for planning. And there's no reason to think that their use won't be beneficial within the roofing sector.

As we've discussed on these pages in the past, a critical aspect of a long-lasting and healthy roof is the need to conduct regular maintenance inspections to identify and deal with issues before they become a major and costly problem; be that on a commercial or residential property.

The problem, of course, has always been in regard to safe and adequate access to the roof in order to carry out such inspections. It would generally require a professional to carry out the process and would need all adequate safety precautions in place; from secure ladders or even scaffolding to safety equipment, PPE and clothing.

The use of a drone resolves a great deal of that hassle and expense €“ at least in the inspection phase. The ability to photograph the roof from above may well assist in much speedier inspections and resolutions.

Indeed, as in the construction industry generally, drones can even be put into use in order to deliver a quick, safe and accurate estimate for work which could benefit both contractor and client alike.

The Internet of Things

Simply put, the internet of things is utilising the internet to connect, control and even communicate with devices. In the modern world, this could generally be achieved through the device being linked to an app in your smart phone, allowing you to take action remotely €“ the ability to Sky+ a TV show from your phone while you're away from home, for example.

Or, as seems to be the common example, your fridge being able to let you know that you need milk and butter on the way home from work.

From a home perspective, and very much linked to the drive toward energy efficiency, this is a technological advancement that can be put to significant effect. It's already being utilised by energy companies, allowing your heating system to react according to conditions or controlling it remotely.

But how can this be incorporated into our roofs?

As the concept becomes more standardised in society then it stands to reason that its usage will creep into all facets of our home, the roof no exception. For instance, powerful Wi-Fi and smart technology can combine to introduce discreet sensors on your roof, detecting for leaks and other potential damage €“ even perhaps, solar powered cameras.

And, speaking of solar energy, the control of integrated PV units in the roof is likely to be controlled effectively with simple connectivity to an app or remote device; further improving efficiencies and lowering long-term costs.

We've always had somewhat fanciful ideas of what the future may hold for modern living; it's what made Back to the Future 2 so much fun and Tomorrow's World so popular in the 1980s. And while some ideas still seem like pie in the sky, the dramatic advancement of technology in everyday use has made possibilities seem almost endless. For the roofing industry, there are key components to this new technology that appear to be a natural fit; helping shape, maintain and monitor the roofs of commercial and residential roofs the world over.