In a white paper published today, Tata Steel announced its revolutionary vision of the UK housing market, paving the way for a new breed of homes to populate our ‘Neighbourhoods of the Future’.
Tata Steel has announced that their market leading Confidex® Guarantee for Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra®, their renowned durable roof and wall cladding pre-finished steel product, has now been extended to include cover for areas that are situated under photovoltaic (PV) frame modules. The move means the whole building envelope is guaranteed to perform for the same duration of up to 40 years, giving building owners who wish to install a PV array the assurance that it will not have a detrimental effect on the performance of the pre-finished steel underneath.
The steel producer’s guarantee is the longest and most comprehensive of its kind for pre-finished steel in Europe.
“With the trend for decreasing photovoltaic costs, and local authorities in the UK incorporating them as part of their supplementary planning guidance, they are becoming much more attractive to install on the roof of a building,” said Peter Barker, Manager New Product Development, Tata Steel.
“This has led to questions from our customers as to the effect this has on the roof building material guarantee. Based on our assessment of current building stock and accelerated weathering test results, we have been able to extend the Confidex® guarantee to include cover for Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® pre-finished steel that is directly under the PV frame modules.”
Peter added; “If the building owner is considering retrofitting photovoltaics in the future, specifying Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra® also ensures that the roof is PV ready, allowing modules to be installed at any point throughout the Confidex® Guarantee Period, providing it was registered, and ensures that the performance of the pre-finished steel over the entire roof will still be covered for the remainder of the guarantee duration. It also includes full reparation in the unlikely event of the pre-finished steel failure.”
Jonathan Clemens, Tata Steel’s Head of Marketing Construction & Infrastructure, said: “Enhancing our Confidex® Guarantee to include cover for Colorcoat HPS200 UItra® pre-finished steel under the PV modules demonstrates that we are continually improving in this area to ensure we are meeting the market’s needs. As a result, we can offer building owners the reassurance they need that the pre-finished steel used on their roof will perform as expected if they decide to install PVs now or in the future.”