Commercial buildings have for years relied on the durability of metal roofing and reaped the benefits of its environmentally friendly nature. Now, many homeowners are choosing to do the same. Homeowners and commercial property owners are beginning to assess the benefits of using environmentally friendly options such as metal roofing to replace traditional asphalt or petroleum-based roofing options that don’t last as long and cause damage to the environment.
But of course roofing doesn’t inherently seem like a way to save planet Earth. In fact, a lot of people see metal roofing as a problematic addition to a home. The trouble is that people don’t fully understand or give proper thought to exactly how metal roofing works and what benefits it can provide to the people in the building and in the community. Metal roofing can actually be quite environmentally friendly as a building material.
Using Metal Roofing for Your Home
The biggest focus on environmentally friendly materials revolves around carbon emissions and the carbon footprint. However, metal roofing serves one of the biggest concerns within our immediate environment, energy consumption. Energy is not boundless or limitless, and it cannot be stored for long periods of time. The energy that you’re using now is energy that was very recently generated.
Metal roofing dramatically impacts energy consumption, and for residential property can eliminate 40% of the household energy costs. How does this happen? Metal roofing reflects heat away from the building, which means that it keeps the building naturally cool during summer. A huge relief for these Carolina Summers.
Secret Benefits of Metal Roofing
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection sided metal roofing as the most environmentally friendly roofing option. They noted the waist reduction standpoint of using recycled steels and metals in 40% of metal roofing options.
Because of the high volume of recycled material used in metal roofing without the compromise of lower life spans or decreased durability, metal roofing is applauded for its extraordinary, really small carbon footprint. The EPA estimates about 11 million tons of asphalt shingles and roofing materials end up in landfills each year. Not to mention, asphalt roofing relies on petroleum products, and there are many elements and options for metal roofing underlayment that use petroleum alternatives.
Which Roofing Material is the Most Eco-Friendly?
Because of the Energy savings, savings and carbon regarding recycling, and the deviation from traditional petroleum-based products, metal roofing is the most environmentally friendly roofing option. If these elements have so many homeowners considering metal roof shingles and panels. Metal roofing shingles can look almost exactly like traditional asphalt shingles, with the difference in that they last decades longer.
A traditional-style asphalt roof may last for 10 to 20 years, with 30 years being the absolute limit. However, roofing with metal materials should last for a minimum of 60 years.
Isn’t Asphalt Roofing the Best Option?
Asphalt roofing is not the best option, but it’s also not as bad as many people make it out to be. In fact, while millions of tons of asphalt roofing materials do end up in landfills, they shouldn’t. When properly handled by roofing contractor asphalt roofing materials can be recycled. Many cities work closely with roofing contractors to recycle asphalt roofing materials and use the materials for road work.
Asphalt is certainly a safe choice, and for many people it’s the most affordable option. But affordability is a short-term element. If you’re replacing your roof every 15 years, then the cost of those replacements over the duration of 60 years makes metal roofing the more price-conscious choice.
Additionally, if you are concerned about the impact on the environment as an asphalt is pretty far down the list. Metal roofing is the best choice for energy consumption as well as carbon emissions, but clay roofing and tile roofing still ranked better in terms of eco-friendliness than asphalt roofing materials.
Schedule Your Metal Roofing Installation
When you’re ready to take the steps to better protect your home and serve the environment, call Anderson Metal Roofing. Our services are available to both commercial and residential buildings throughout Anderson, and we support those who choose to have a metal roofing installation with outstanding support. Not only Aunt can you ensure that the roofing material for your building will last for decades, but you can guarantee to lower your energy bill, and have a lower impact on the environment.
Metal roofing is making a comeback because of its longevity and people who want to protect their building, structure, or home, are making the choice to switch from asphalt shingles can metal shingles or metal plates. You can do the same. Call Anderson Metal Roofing for a quote on a full metal roof installation.
