Homeowners in Denver CO who opt for metal roofs aren't just investing for their residence's future. In fact, they're making the environment better than before. However, unlike asphalt shingles that crumble and turn into raw roofing material, how do metal roofs help save the environment?
Energy-efficiency is a term even your professional Denver CO metal roofers take for granted as great return of investment from metal roofs. It's not just you that gains benefit from energy efficiency. With less costs to pay due to less power consumed, homeowners and the environment benefit from lower coal power plant production.
Imagine if an entire country used energy-efficient roofing. Then, there is less power used to operate AC or heating units. Not only will homeowners save their wallets, but also the evironment.
Exhibit A: Breaking Energy's article on metal roofs' excellent environmental benefits is a great way to persuade you to own one. Read more below.
Top Environmental Benefits of Metal Roofing
As consumers become more educated about the need for sustainable living, many homeowners and homebuyers are prioritizing eco-friendly living in their home purchases and other home renovations. To meet public outcry for conservation, recyclability, and sustainability, those in the home improvement and construction industries are seeking solid alternatives that will adhere to even the most rigorous standards of eco-friendliness and sustainable living. Of the various home improvement green solutions, metal roofing is definitely one that is gaining great popularity even among the most skeptical homeowners and buyers.
The Rise of Metal Roofing
Made of various metal materials — such as tin, aluminum, copper, and galvanized steel — metal roofs are known to withstand some of Mother Nature’s most wicked rages. Be it heavy rainstorms, hailstorms, and snow, metal roofs will keep homeowners safe and away from all kinds of windblown debris and natural elements. In addition to being fire-resistant and impervious to the most unforgiving weather and troublesome pests, metal roofs are also an environmentally-friendly roofing solution for their unmatched longevity, superior energy saving features, and high recyclability.
Longevity (Read Full Post)
Asphalt shingles may crumble and turn brittle as they reach their maximum lifespans. However, you can recycle even rusted and corroded tin, aluminum, and other metal roofing materials and create a brand-new metal roof from just 25% of the recycled material resource. Furthermore, metal is 100% recyclable.
Recycling Depot Adelaide has a very informative post on how scrap metal procedures -- which involve to-be-recycled metal roofs -- work step by step. Read more about it here.
Scrap Metal Recycling Process
Metals are part of our everyday life, used to make cars, trucks, trains, train tracks, ships, aeroplanes, whitegoods, cutlery, pots and pans. Metal is divided into two categories, ferrous and nonferrous. Ferrous metals contain steel and iron, with aluminium, copper and brass, examples of nonferrous metals.Steel is 100% recyclable and is the most recycled material per tonne in the world. Sorting ferrous metals from nonferrous metals is far easier and less expensive than sorting different plastics due to steels magnetic properties.
The Process of Metal Recycling
The process of metal recycling involves four stages. Metal is collected by scrap yards, where it is sorted into bins. Any nonferrous metal items that have a component of steel or iron is treated as scrap steel. Scrap metal centres then sell the scrap to larger super collectors where it is shredded and then melted in furnaces at high temperatures to produce blocks, ingots or sheets to be sold to manufacturers of metal products.
Below is the metal recycling process in detail:Collection and sorting
The first step in metal recycling is the collection of all metal products. Adelaide residents bring in a variety of metallic items.
Examples of scrap metal items commonly recycled include whitegoods, radiators, steel or alloy wheels, roller shutters, bicycles and batteries, even the stainless steel kitchen sink can be recycled. Metal items are sorted into rubbish skips, ready to be transported to scrap metal super collectors for processing.
Scrap metal prices are high due to the demand for scrap metal that has been recycled.Crushing and Shredding
Scrap metal processing plants first crush the metal in compactors so it can be handled on conveyor belts easier. Hammer mills then shred the metal into pieces the size of your hand.
Separation (Read More Here)
While an earlier excerpt has already proven metal roofing's top-quality environmental benefits, Whirlwind Steel has an excellent post on metal roofs' global impact if more houses not just from Denver CO but worldwide use metal roofs. These include compelling benefits to reduce greenhouse emissions, absorbing sun energy and more. Read it below!
METAL ROOFING: GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND GOOD FOR THE WALLET
Metal roofing systems may be more expensive initially than a conventional asphalt roof but in terms of environmental benefits, a metal roof cannot be beaten.
Metal roofing is the choice for providing energy efficiency and all that cascades from it:
- Lower energy costs
- Lower energy usage
- Less waste
Metal roofs are gaining ground as more builders are embracing the green movement. More stringent building codes and tax credits are lifting metal to the top of the list of desirable roofing materials.
LET’S TALK ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The best reason for selecting a metal roof is the potential for extreme energy efficiency. Metal roofs save energy in multiple ways:
- Solar energy emissivity and reflectivity
- Accommodation for additional insulation
- Ease of installation of rooftop fixtures for other energy saving devices
- Decreased electric lighting needs
A light-colored metal roof can save building owners up to 40% of energy expenditures. Where white or light coatings on other roofing materials lost anywhere from 25% to 40% in initial reflectance over time, a white or light-colored coating on a metal roof retained most of the initial solar reflectance. If the metal was prepainted at the manufacturer, it could retain as much as 95%.
An unpainted metal roof can even outperform conventional asphalt shingles. Solar reflectance from an unpainted metal roof typically exceeds the federal EnergyStar requirement of 60%. Depending on the color of the metal or coating, reflectance can vary from 10%-75%. Compare that to the typical asphalt shingle, which has a reflectance of 5-25% regardless of color.
REDUCED HEATING AND COOLING
High reflectance and emissivity plus additional insulation result in a building that is as much as 50 to 60 degrees cooler than one with a traditional roof.
Consider also that heating and cooling consumes around 30% of all energy costs for a building. Half of that loss is due to cooled or heated air escaping the roof. The best way to keep the environment stable without increasing HVAC use is to increase the amount of insulation beneath the roofing system.
Unfortunately, increasing the amount of insulation under a conventional roof often has the effect of causing the roofing materials to deteriorate more quickly. However, a metal roof can accommodate much more additional insulation without any problems.
REDUCTION IN ELECTRICITY USAGE (Read Full Post Here)
You're probably wanting to call your metal roofs supplier right now to get the best metal roofs on offer now, right? While you're well-equipped with knowledge to make the best decisions on your roof, you'll need top-quality metal roofs installation services too. Roper Roofing is Denver CO's finest metal roof servicing company -- contact us today to get a FREE quote!
