09.04.2020 Sustainability

Lasting safety for you and your loved ones

Part 3 of our 3-part series “Happy Home“:

In the third part of our series of articles about the home, everything revolves around your safety. According to the presented study The Good Home Report from 2019, the feeling of security contributes significantly to whether we are happy with our own four walls. To put it in the words of a study participant: “A happy home is a place to rest” – and to really be able to rest, you need a feeling of security, right?

Feeling safe means not to feel threats and not to be afraid. “My home is a refuge, my castle. Because I feel safe, I feel protected and I don’t feel in danger, I don’t feel that there is anybody that is going to come and bother me. I feel safe.” said one respondent’s impressive description.

Roofinox Classic Stehfalzfassade, abends, schöne Aussicht

Feelings of insecurity may be due to a dangerous environment or neighborhood, but they are often also based on the poor condition of your own home: those who have to fear that in heavy rain the roof will not hold tight and dangerous mold will form, or those who measure 32° C inside in summer, feel anything but safe. Given that, according to experts, the number of extreme weather events such as heat waves or heavy rain is increasing, this is a topic of great importance and topicality.

When Seattle gets as warm as San Francisco

It was only last year that researchers at ETH Zurich predicted that the temperatures in European cities could rise by an average of around 3.5° C by 2050 or even by 4.7° C in winter. That may not sound like much to some, but if Zurich has temperatures that are normally measured in Milan, if it gets as warm in Stockholm as it does in Budapest, or if Seattle has temperatures like San Francisco, this is anything but normal. And it brings with it new challenges. The following heat-measurement-strip from the German Weather Service (DWD) impressively shows how our annual temperatures – shown here in Munich – have already changed between 1881 and 2018.

Durchschnittstemperatur steigt und stellt die Langlebigkeit des Daches vor Herausfordferungen

Source: Zeit.de / DWD

So what to do? How can we master these new challenges?

Architecture and building materials are crucial

Bad brickwork or an old roof can not only lead to feelings of insecurity and discomfort. The design of a house and the quality of the material used can also have an impact on health, for example heat puts a lot of strain on the human organism and especially affects those who are weak or ill. Poverty also causes problems because those affected often cannot afford important renovation work. Ailments that can all arise from high temperatures are circulatory problems or sleeping disorders. This makes relaxed winding-down within your own four walls practically impossible.

It looks very similar when there is too much precipitation. According to experts, it will not necessarily rain more on average in the future, but the rain will get stronger and heavy-rain will become more and more frequent. Furthermore, heavy rain does not usually lead to circulatory problems, but if the amount of water rattles on the roof within two days, which otherwise falls in a whole month, this can certainly lead to sleepless nights. Will the roof hold? Does it remain water-tight? …

Your protection against hail, rain, storm and sun

As is so often the case, quality is more important than quantity. Our houses have to endure more and more hardships and weather extremes, still they should provide safe protection. Rest assured: you can do it with the right material.

Roofs and façades made of HFX stainless

HFX stainless is characterized by a high reflectivity, which means that heat radiation from the sun is reflected by the roof. This demonstrably reduces the heating of roofs, facades, and whole communities or cities.

With regard to large amounts of rain, snow or hail, the strength of the material used is important. It depends on the tightness, temperature resistance and minimal thermal expansion. Roofinox combines all of this in its HFX stainless. The high resilience defined by tensile strength is for instance highly relevant for all those who have installed or want to install a solar system on their roof. In storms and strong gusts, solar panels behave like a sail in the wind – high mechanical strength is therefore essential to resist the roof structure from failing.

Comparison of tensile strength of different metals

Green roofs, a good alternative

If you don’t consider installing a solar system on your roof and still want to take “protective measures”, why not think of green roofs? This can also demonstrably weaken the heating of your own home or all other kinds of buildings and your environment. The moist green provides a natural cooling effect for every roof shape. Thanks to welded HFX stainless roof panels, the roof as such is tight for all times, functional and, on top of that, very low maintenance.

Not to forget: the gutter

Gutters are generally installed according to the determined amount of rain at the respective location. Ensuring that large amounts of water are collected even during sudden showers, low maintenance is important. Heavy rain rarely announces itself – gutters must therefore be functional without much preparation or regular repairs. Trouble-free roof drainage is only guaranteed if this is the case.

Make it long-term – it’s worth it!

We believe that those who plan long-term are particularly carefree. You can feel safe because you know that e.g. HFX stainless guarantees protection for decades. The material is of premium quality, it is functional and strong – it shapes trust. Investments in a roof, in gutters or in façades made of stainless steel will last for decades. It pays off. In this way you ensure durability, sustainability, protection and comfort. And by the way, you make yourself and your loved ones happy.