When it is time to replace your roof, consider the environmental impact of your new roofing design and materials. Advances in green roofing technology give you the opportunity to replace your roof with materials that are environmentally friendly and that will reduce your energy bills and enhance the appearance and value of your home.
Green roofing design incorporates low-environmental-impact materials in a complete roofing system that not only keeps your building dry, but also provides adequate attic ventilation and minimizes energy losses on extremely hot or cold days. Green roofing minimizes the environmental impact of the manufacture and transport of the roofing materials and provides for environmentally responsible disposal of the roofing materials at the end of the roof’s useful life.
Low-Impact Materials
Green roofing materials are made from recycled materials wherever possible and are designed to last many years. They are durable, but lightweight to minimize fuel costs involved in transportation to the building site. Manufacturers such as GAF strive to have zero waste going to landfills from their plants.
Energy-Efficient Building Design
Green roofing is a major component of overall building design intended to optimize energy efficiency. Green roofing efforts can range from simply using environmentally friendly energy-efficient shingles all the way up to complex projects that actually produce energy for the building:
- Reflective shingles use light colors to reflect sunlight. A light-colored roof can be as much as 60 degrees F. cooler in direct sunlight than a dark-colored roof. A reflective barrier installed beneath the roof decking can minimize summer heat gain and reflect lost heat back into the attic on cold winter days.
- Ridge vents and other accessories can provide adequate attic ventilation to control attic humidity and reduce summer heat buildup.
- Photovoltaic shingles or roofs designed to support standard photovoltaic or thermal solar panels can turn your roof into an energy-producing system to take full advantage of our sunny mid-western climate.
- For literally “green” green roofing, special construction and materials can create flat roofs on buildings for growing lawns or vegetable gardens that provide insulation and conserve water.
End-of-Useful Life Considerations
Roofing materials that are recyclable when it is time for replacement are an environmentally responsible choice that minimizes landfill costs and conserves raw materials.
Bill West Roofing is a certified green roofing company. We work with residential and commercial building owners throughout the Kansas City area to design and install green roofing systems. And when we remove and replace your old shingle roofing we make sure that it gets recycled, doing our part to keep the 11 million tons of roofing waste generated each year out of our landfills and repurposed into roadways and other useful materials.