These days more and more people are thinking about going green. Many aspects of life can be altered to be better for the planet and the individual, and roofing is no exception. Two popular new trends for making both residential and commercial roofing more environmentally friendly are green roofs and solar roofs. Not only do these options reduce the carbon footprint of a home or business structure, they can also significantly reduce costs.
Green roofs, also known as living roofs, use soil and plant life over a layer of waterproofing materials to insulate the building. There are two types of green roofs, intensive and extensive. The intensive has at least a foot of soil, and requires more structural support due to its weight. More types of plants can be grown on an intensive roof, but there is often significant maintenance required.
Extensive green roofs, on the other hand, have only a few inches of soil and usually make use of hardy plants and grasses. These roofs usually only require maintenance once a year and thus are more common. Green roofs have a number of benefits, both for the environment and the building owner. The soil greatly reduces storm water runoff, as well as providing a barrier between the roofing materials and the sun.
This results in fewer roofing repairs over the lifetime of the structure. Since these roofs do not have the same heat absorbing qualities that dark shingled roofs do, they can also reduce the heat island effect. This is an effect that results in cities being several degrees warmer than the rural areas surrounding them. Green roofs can also lower heating and cooling costs of a building by over 50%.
In intensive green roofs, the area can be turned into a park or wildlife sanctuary for endangered insects or birds. This method both takes full use of the available space and provides excellent public relations for the company that owns the building. Some people have even grazed small farm animals, such as goats, on green roofs. Residential roofing, especially pitched roofs, may not lend itself to intensive green roofing as easily, but it can be done.
Solar roofs, on the other hand, produce energy for the building on which they are installed. Originally solar power had to be gathered in bulky panels, but the technology has become more streamlined and attractive. There are smaller, interlocking solar panels available that will fit over the tiles of a standard roof, retaining the same attractive look of a normal roof while converting energy for the building. Whether for residential roofing or commercial roofing, these solar panels can end up saving a good deal of money in electrical bills.
Some electric companies will even pay the owner of the building for any excess electricity they feed into the system from the solar panels. Many installation companies will offer a limited warranty for as much as 25 years for roofing repairs should the panels malfunction. These new trends in roofing can greatly benefit both the environment and the consumer. While more pricey than standard roofs, the energy saved and produced, as well as available tax breaks for making environmentally friendly structural changes, may make it worth the effort.