Three of the Most Sustainable Types of Roofing Material
June 20, 2014
Naturally, one of the biggest concerns homeowners have when approaching a roof replacement project is energy efficiency. After all, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that heating and cooling account for 56% of a typical American household’s energy usage. As many homeowners are already aware, the right roofing materials types can reduce annual energy consumption by as much as 40% — cutting homeowners’ need for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter nearly in half.
If you’d like to make your home more sustainable (and save some “green” on your energy bill), consider using one of these three energy efficient types of roofing materials.
Metal.
Metal roofing types don’t sound like they’re particularly energy efficient at first, but when you consider just how durable they are, it makes sense. The typical lifespan for these types of roofing materials is — at least — 50 years, and with the right care and maintenance, metal types of roofing materials can last up to 100 years! Additionally, metal roofs reflect a lot of sunlight, effectively keeping the sun’s heat from getting into the house and reducing the need to keep the house cool during summer.
Recycled Shingles.
Recycled shingles help reduce waste simply because they’re reusing materials, effectively reducing the need to consume additional resources in the production of new materials. Unlike disposable types of roofing materials, they don’t contain toxic, volatile chemicals that evaporate in the sun’s heat, which means that disposable shingles can harm the environment just by getting hot.
Tiles.
Roofing tiles are usually made with all natural materials, like slate, clay, or concrete. Corrugated tiles encourage air flow, which naturally cools off the roof during summer, and in turn cools the house, too. Plus, they’re recyclable, too, which means that once they’re broken or worn out, they can be reused and won’t end up in a landfill.
And to think, these are just three of the most sustainable types of roofing materials. If you’d like to know about others, feel free to ask in the comments.