Sustainable Roofing Products and Services

Penfolds Roofing and Solar
Written by Jen Hocken

Penfolds Roofing and Solar offers roofing services for new construction and reroofing services for residential and commercial buildings in the metro Vancouver area. Approximately sixty percent of its work is residential; thirty percent is commercial, and ten percent is new construction. It has a service and repair division that can handle all types of roof repairs and maintenance, including emergency services.
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The company was founded in 1937 by Mr. Penn, and in 1990 it was purchased by Ken Mayhew, the current owner and president of Penfolds. Throughout the years, it has maintained its good reputation and its position as the largest residential re-roofer in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Its workmanship, high-quality products and exceptional customer service have led to its incredible success.

Penfolds offers high-efficiency solar panels for any residential or commercial building to provide customers with significantly lower electricity bills. This sustainable form of energy continues to grow in popularity, and solar panels are a great investment for any building.

There are four Penfolds locations throughout greater Vancouver including North Vancouver, Vancouver, Coquitlam and Surrey. These cover clients from Whistler to Chilliwack – the majority of the population in B.C.

Penfolds has the best warranty in the industry; all of its warranties are insured by a third-party insurance company, PRI Warranty Corporation. Its customers can rest assured that no matter what the circumstance, they will be properly taken care of. “If anything ever goes wrong with a roof and we need to do any kind of repairs under warranty, PRI provides coverage so the homeowner can rest assured they are taken care of,” says Shaun Mayhew, the sales and marketing manager at Penfolds.

Penfolds carries exclusive products like the EcoRoof that is made of recycled tires but resembles a slate or cedar shake roof. This unique product has excellent curb appeal, and provides a cost-effective alternate to real slate or cedar shakes. The average EcoRoof uses approximately two hundred to four hundred tires that would otherwise have gone to the landfill, and Penfolds has already installed over 1,000 roofs or two million square feet of the product. The roof system comes with a fifty-year warranty.

“Wholly as a product, it [the EcoRoof] is one of the most recycled roof products that is available. About ninety-five percent of the product is made from recycled materials. That being said, it is probably one of the most attractive manmade products that you can install on your roof,” says Shaun. The EcoRoof makes up a large portion of its sales, and Penfolds is the only company that can install it as it has an exclusive arrangement with the manufacturer.

Another distinguishing factor for the company is its ability to add solar roofing to its already wide variety of products. The average solar customer of Penfolds has reduced their electricity bill by seventy-five percent, and some have eliminated it completely.

The EcoRoof product is commonly combined with solar panels during a reroofing project as these are both great investments for a building, and customers are often looking to optimize the quality of their roof all at once.

Other types of roofing installed by Penfolds include asphalt shingles, standing seam metal roofing, cedar shake roofing and flat roofing. Many roofing companies concentrate primarily on one product, whereas Penfolds provides a full array of options including ventilation, gutters, chimneys and skylights. “We’re one of the few companies that really focus on the roof as a system, making sure that your roof is working correctly so that your whole house is going to be functioning a lot better because the roof makes up a large portion of the building envelope,” says Shaun.

Its emphasis on sustainability is unique in the industry, and Penfolds is proud of being able to provide solar systems and services. When installing solar panels on a roof in a neighborhood, word spreads quickly, and people start to ask questions and educate themselves about the benefits of solar power. Customers also often become much more cognizant of their overall energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Penfolds can provide the most customized roofing services available. “Being able to offer a full variety of products and services to each customer and really tailor our estimate to each customer and their specific needs is what separates us from competition. Combined with the unique product offering along with warranties that we provide, it’s tough to compete with us,” says Shaun.

Penfolds employs approximately 150 people, and many of its employees have been with the company for 10 to 15+ years, making this feel like a large family. Many construction businesses today are facing the challenge of finding skilled workers to join the team, and Penfolds is no exception.

“We have really gone above and beyond to put together some tailored programs, and this year we’ve seen that we’ve attracted some new talented workers,” says Shaun. The company is continuing to work on increasing its numbers to keep up with the construction growth in the vibrant economy of the greater Vancouver area.

The crews at Penfolds have been with the company for a long time and have experience with inspections before, during and after a project. The field supervisors ensure that the high-quality product is put together efficiently, and they strive to provide a consistent experience for each customer. Every new construction and renovation project is different, and this can be challenging, yet Penfolds prides itself on providing a similar experience across the board. “Our field supervision make sure that our crews are doing the right thing, that safety is paramount and that customers are happy at the end of the day,” says Shaun.

Penfolds is Climate Smart Certified, which shows its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and it is certified by the top occupational health and safety program: COR. The company is audited annually on its safety track record and always receives high marks.

The company focuses on providing reliable first-rate service. Penfolds has a reputation for doing more than customers expect. For example, if a customer has a demanding schedule and is only able to meet at 7:00 in the evening, Penfolds will make itself available at that time since it highly prefers to work in a face-to-face setting.

The company has grown for the last five years steadily in residential, commercial and new construction divisions. The Vancouver area is a growing market for renovations and new construction developments.

Penfolds is always finding ways to upgrade its environmental efforts. It has converted much of its fleet to propane instead of gasoline to save on costs and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. “We’re constantly looking and trying to find ways that we can recycle a lot of the products that we remove from roofs because that is probably one of our largest footprints, and is pretty hard to control,” says Shaun.

Penfolds plans to expand its inventory to stock more products. Purchasing and stocking solar panels in larger quantities will allow the company to attain more savings and reduce its overall costs, so customers receive faster paybacks on solar energy.

“Of course, we are looking at increasing budgets and growing year by year, but if you were to take a look at the bigger picture, it is to make sure that we are sustainable and that our customers are getting a quality delivered product, which will grow the business in itself,” says Shaun.

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