How great would it be if building owners realize major cost savings and no longer have to deploy (scarce!) staff for costly roof inspections? It is now possible with a new roof management. Baulds has developed an innovative roof management system on behalf of Wédéflex Sustainable Daksystemen and Patina Dakdenkers: Roofolution. In this article we explain the concept and the underlying technology.
Roof maintenance becomes results-oriented
The total roof area in the Netherlands is approximately 600 million m2. An average of 15 million m2 of roof is constructed, replaced or renovated every year. Wédéflex Sustainable Roof Systems is a supplier of high-quality and sustainable bitumen roof products and innovative roof systems for all types of roofs. From housing complexes, museums, apartments to distribution centers.
After installation by roofers such as Patina, maintenance is a major and recurring expense for customers over the 20 to 30 year lifespan. The trend is for customers to conclude Performance-Oriented Maintenance (PGO) contracts with roofers. So no longer based on effort (x number of visits/year), but based on results. Patina has been offering this innovative method of roof maintenance for a number of years.
IoT chain
Wédéflex Sustainable Roof Systems and Patina Dakthinkers In 2019, we asked Baulds to develop a sensor network with which roof performance can be monitored remotely. The aim is to deploy personnel cost-efficiently and make maintenance predictable. Because a lot of data is collected from different types of roofs, the opportunity for maintenance finally arises smart and make it predictable.
The development of the sensor network is a great example of an Internet-Of-Things (IoT) chain. Sensor units are placed at a fixed distance in a roof. These 'things' transmit sensor data wirelessly to a gateway (collection point). The gateway then sends the data via 4G (cellular network) to a central data storage. The measured data and building information per roof is visualized, interpreted and displayed in a dashboard (web portal).
Baulds has developed the Sensor unit and created a communication solution to store the sensor data in the cloud. The processing and interpretation of the data is done by Artificial Intelligence and was developed in collaboration with an IT partner.
Sensor unit is a data collector
After some Proof Of Concepts (PoC) the conclusion was that temperature is decisive and predictable for the performance of roofs.
The developed and waterproof sensor unit contains two sensors to measure the lower temperature (directly on the roof structure) and the upper temperature (directly under the roof covering). The sensor unit has a LoRa module and a battery that lasts up to 10 years. The standard LoRa (Long Range) protocol was chosen because it can bridge large distances in an energy-efficient manner.
The thickness of each roof is unique. That is why the sensor unit has been developed in such a way that it can be used in roofs with insulation material thickness between 70 and 400 mm. The length-adjustable sensor unit therefore also fits into existing roofs. A round hole is made in the roof insulation and after installation it is made waterproof and the sensor unit immediately starts sending data.
Smart measuring intervals
The application in the dashboard has the option to instruct each sensor unit to make the measurement intervals longer or shorter. This allows you to optimally set the balance between the amount of data and power consumption. If roof performance decreases, the measurement intervals automatically shorten so that more data is collected.
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Big data in the cloud
A unique number (IDent), date and time, upper and lower temperature and battery voltage are stored per sensor unit. The collected data from all sensor units is stored in the cloud. This is price-wise attractive, scalable and, above all, safe. The data is processed by a self-learning algorithm.
After installation, a calibration (zero measurement) is carried out, which forms a basis for future measurements. Deviations from the calibration can be an indication of a leak or contamination, for example due to leaves. If a deviation in upper and lower temperatures is detected, a notification will be sent that will inform the roof manager. The exact location on the relevant roof is determined with the unique number of each sensor unit.
Roof management via a dashboard
The condition per roof is displayed in a dashboard. This information can be shared with customers such as housing associations. These increasingly require proof that inspections have actually taken place. Roofolution can easily provide up-to-date insight into the performance of a roof. In other words, roof management from behind your desk.
The advantages of such a dashboard are obvious. Physical inspections are no longer necessary. Someone only goes on the roof if something is really wrong, or “just-in-time” maintenance. Possible consequential damage is minimized because of the 24/7 monitoring. Finally, maintenance costs and CO2 emissions are saved because technicians are sent on the road less often.
From behind the desk
Roofolution has realized roof management from behind the desk. We at Baulds are proud that we have a strong collaboration with Wédéflex Sustainable Roof Systems & Patina Dakthinkers, have developed smart roof maintenance. Each from their own expertise. Baulds as an experienced (embedded) hardware and software company in the IoT domain and both clients with their wealth of experience in roof construction and maintenance.
Roofolution is the revolution in the field of roof management: optimal insight into the condition of roofs, no unnecessary (physical) periodic inspections and lower maintenance costs. Ideal for property owners, housing associations, homeowners' association managers and roofing companies.
Would you like to receive more information about this new roof management? Take Contact with us.
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