At risk
Is your roof still safe?
The snow load on roofs still gets too little attention. The collapse of the ice rink in Bad Reichenhall in 2006 was only a tragic beginning - many more incidents were to follow.
The actual snow load does not depend on snow depth alone. What matters most is the type of the individual snow layers: the weight varies significantly between ice, wet snow and powder snow. Add to that rain and melt water. Extreme weather events keep increasing - and so do the risks of excessive roof loads.
Buildings with older structures or with additional loads - for example from photovoltaic systems - are particularly at risk.
Snow load zones in Germany
Crucial for forecasting snow loads is the building's location. Therefore, Germany is sectioned in various snow load zones, representing the snow intensities for every specific region. Still, many premises of older building fabric do not comply with the latest requirements. Flat roofs in particular are potentially at risk due to exceeding snow loads.
DGUV recommend
permanent monitoring
The Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung DGUV too, emphasize in their information paper DGUV information 212-002 "snow removal on roof areas", that only a multitude of measurement points guarantees for realistic figures of snow load conditions on a flat roof.
Continuous monitoring made
easy
With our Smart Roof Monitoring System, roof loads can be monitored conveniently - from your office desk or via mobile phone.
Want to know more about snow load and how it's measured? Take a look at our FAQ.
Norm
Snow-load zone map of Germany.
The map per DIN EN 1991-1-3 is the basis for the structural design of every roof in Germany. It shows the characteristic snow load you have to expect at your location - and why a blanket assumption is not enough.
- Zone 1 - lowest load (coastal regions, lowlands)
- Zone 1a - slightly elevated
- Zone 2 - medium load (large parts of Germany)
- Zone 2a - elevated (low-mountain ranges, alpine foothills)
- Zone 3 - highest load (alpine region)
Roof-load & PV checklist
Quick check: what to watch for with roof loads and PV systems.
Measures protocol (example)
Template for documenting your clearing and safety measures.
Company presentation
envitron at a glance – compact PDF.