Roof repair ranks near the top of the list when it comes to commonplace house improvements that can benefit huge from going green. After all, your roof is directly exposed to heat, cold, and sunlight make it an excellent prospect for enhancing your house’s total energy performance. And since your roof is likewise your house’s most important line of defense when it pertains to securing you and yours from the aspects, it’s easy to see why homeowners across the country are drawn to the quality craftsmanship and high expectations that green renovation is known for.
Environment-friendly Metal Roofing
If you go into it with a green frame of mind, metal roofing is plainly among the greenest roofing items on the market. Why? You can buy metal roofings made from recycled materials; a metal roof is recyclable once again when you tear it off; and on top of that, metal roofings are long lasting, long lasting, and energy-efficient, as well. They do not come without a couple of potential mistakes, nevertheless, which is why we’ve assembled this guide on green metal roof to assist you make your new metal roofing repair as green as possible.
Green Roofing with David Johnston
There’s nobody better to walk you through the ins and outs of making certain your metal roofing system setup is as green as they come than David Johnston, founder of the green consulting company What’s Working, Inc., author of the Nautilus Award winning book Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time, and HomeAdvisor’s point man on all things green. Here is some of Johnston’s advice on what you can do to turn your metal roof into a green metal roofing system.
Energy Efficiency and Green Metal Roofing
Choosing a greener metal roofing often translates into more affordable energy costs down the road. Right here’s what you can expect from your new metal roofing in the energy savings department, and a few things you can do to increase your energy savings even more.
Metal Roofing is Cool Roofing– Metal roof is referred to as a “cool” roofing material because it transmits far less heat from the sun down into your attic than other products such as asphalt shingle roof. Primarily that’s due to the fact that metal roofings are thinner and can’t retain as much heat, though the color you decide to repaint your roofing system can also make a distinction.
Install Light Colored Roofing– With metal, a galvanized surface or white created roofing is perfect. Light colored roof reflects, instead of takes in, heat from the sun. The result is a cooler house and minimized cooling bills, especially if you have air conditioning ductwork in the attic.
Install Radiant Heat Barriers– Radiant heat obstacles are a thin layer of metal insulation (normally tin foil with a paper backing or a metalized mylar sheeting), which can minimize radiant heat transfer into your attic by as much as 95 percent when set up to the underside of your roofing system.
Install Rainwater Catch Systems– Because metal roofing systems channel water so efficiently, and they don’t have toxic elements like asphalt shingles, they are the best roofing material for a rainwater catch system. By installing cisterns or drums to capture valuable rainwater and runoff for landscaping use, you can conserve cash on the month-to-month water bill.
Health Considerations and Green Metal Roofing
Johnston is quick to mention that contrary to common belief, green improvement isn’t really everything about enhancing energy efficiency. It’s just as much about developing more comfy, more secure, and much healthier homes. Right here are a couple of basic steps you can take to guarantee that health is a priority throughout and after the time that your new roofing system is set up.
Just Purchase Lead-Free Metal Roofing– Be sure that your metal roof is lead-free in both the metal alloy and your roofing system’s finish. Even percentages of lead can lead to psychological and physical problems in fetuses and children, reduced coordination and brainpowers in adults, and kidney damage, blood damage, and even increased blood pressure. Prevent it at all costs!
Employ a Quality Contractor– A badly set up roof can leakage wetness into your attic, which can cause water damage, rot, and mold growth; the last of which has been proven to add to a variety of serious health issues. Make sure you work with a roofing professional who know the ins and outs of dealing with metal roofings (avoiding the cross contact of different alloys, and adopting roof profiles with hidden screws and clips, for instance) to help guarantee you won’t get any nasty surprises a couple of years down the road.
Build a Steep Sloped Roof– A metal roofing with a steep pitch discourages standing water, leakage, ice dams, and heavy snow buildup. That means less chance of wetness penetration and roof repair failure, and a reduced risk of water damage and mold growth.
Supply Adequate Attic Ventilation– Proper attic ventilation is vital to a healthy, green roofing system. Ridge vents, soffit vents, and gable vents all help to keep air distributing, which results in a cooler attic and home in the summertime and minimized condensation build-up in the attic in the winter season, which can result in water damage, rot, and mold development.
Eco-friendly Metal Roofing and the Environment
Obviously, at the heart of any green metal roofing is ecological stewardship. While metal roofing is as eco-friendly as roofing materials come, here are some suggestions from Johnston to assist you see to it you’ve left no stones unturned.
Purchase Recycled Content Metal Roofing– Metal roof repair can be made from aluminum, copper, or steel, and can be acquired with recycled material contents as high as 100 percent. That implies less waste gets sent out to the garbage dumps, and less energy is lost throughout production. From an ecological perspective, the more recycled content, the merrier.
Minimize Waste & Recycle Materials– Measure your roofing and order roofing materials carefully to reduce waste. Also, keep in mind that 85 to 90 percent of remodel waste is recyclable, either by reusing it or dealing with it at facilities that will certainly recycle the materials. Finally, if you’re changing an older metal roofing system with a new one, keep in mind that none of your old roofing material must go to the garbage dump.
Energy Efficiency– All those energy savings that metal roofing will certainly offer you for many years is good for the environment, too. High energy performance implies reduced fossil fuel usage, which is becoming increasingly more crucial as fuel supplies decrease and the detrimental effects of worldwide warming continue to emerge.
Determining the True Value of Going Green with Your New Metal Roof
What’s it going to cost you if you go green with your metal roofing? Probably not any more than if you don’t, to be honest. You may pay a portion more for recycled content metal roof and the included energy efficiency of a radiant heat barrier, but when you consider energy savings with time and the higher quality setup that goes together with green building approaches, you’ll most likely generate income by selecting green in the end. That said, Johnston is quick to warn house owners versus getting caught up in “the payback trap” of green renovation. While it’s true that a green metal roof may save you a few bucks on your energies in the long term, going green deserves a lot more than a person can measure in dollars and cents. Environment-friendly roofings are healthier, longer lasting, lower upkeep roofing solutions. When you figure in the fact that you’ll be making a commitment to passing a much better world onto your youngsters and grandchildren, it’s simple to see what Johnston indicates when he says that the true value of going green is far higher than any expense price quote can indicate.
If you think green is the ideal selection for you, make sure to talk to your specialist about embracing a green building approach, discover a service provider who concentrates on green structure and renovation, or seek the services of a green consulting company to assist you prepare and create the best, and greenest, roof you possibly can.