We’ve had green houses as a topic for our home builders category. But what if you’re already a long-time homeowner who is need of replacing your roof real soon? What are you thinking of as options? Maybe you’d like a roof that will outlast the conventional ones and go for something that’s made from eco-friendly roofing materials? This way, you won’t just be saving money in the long run, you’ll help in saving the environment too. Yes you know where this is going. Let me now discuss briefly the benefits of green roofing.
Before that, a little lecture about the greenhouse effect and why it is important. The greenhouse effect is a process by which heat from the earth is transmitted in the atmosphere where atmospheric gases absorb it, and subsequently transmit it back to earth. In addition to this heat coming from our planet which bounced back to us, the sun also emits heat which adds up as something that, along with other contributing factors, result to global warming.
Why is this important in terms of roofing? Well, one of the great producers of the greenhouse effect are the roofs we currently have now. Think about it: the sun hits the roof, and the roof reflects light back into the atmosphere. The heat intensifies along with the effects of burning fossil fuel and clearing of forests, the heat is then reflected to us. This is where we can start contributing – green roofing.
The types of green roofing products are diverse, ranging from recycled plastic shingles to recycled metal roofs to harvested or reclaimed wood roofs. Deciding on what to have as your next roof will mainly depend on the design of your home’s exterior, some local building codes (if there are any), and price considerations. Remember that eco-friendly roofing is all about the recycled material content, how long it will last, and whether it can be reused. Here are some popular green roofing materials and ideas:
Roofing tile reflects less heat into the atmosphere. In addition, they’re heavy too. The superior thermal mass in tile keeps the cool air inside on a hot day. Single-ply thermoset roofs, on the other hand, are well-sealed and insulate the buildings they cover. Other examples include the hot tin roof which is really durable and recyclable, as well highly reflective white coating which, when applied on the roof of the whole neighborhood, may drop the temperature to 1 degree.
Interested now in eco-friendly alternatives? We have more to discuss about green roofing! Stay tuned and maybe we might just tackle each green roofing option out there for you guys.
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