Not yet a member? Sign up here
The EPA reports that $40 billion is spent annually in the United States to cool buildings. This accounts for one-sixth of all electricity generated in a year. These staggering statistics, coupled with the rising cost of heating and cooling homes, have homeowners looking for ways to save the earth and save money on energy costs.
Green building practices promote construction of buildings that are healthier for the occupants and healthier for the environment. The metal roofing industry's products are already environmentally friendly as most metal roofs contain more than 25 percent recycled content. This level of recycled content allows metal roofing to be included on listings of 'green' and recycled content products. In addition, metal roofing is 100 percent recyclable. Traditional roofing products, such as asphalt, contribute 13 billion pounds of waste to U.S. landfills annually. Many metal roofs can be installed over an existing roof, without tear-off and disposal.
A cool roof is often described as one that has a high solar reflectance and a high thermal emittance. The emittance of a material refers to its ability to release absorbed heat. A roof is 'cool' if its surface temperature is lower, and as a result, the cooling load in the building is reduced. Solar reflectance is the most important characteristic of a roof product in terms of yielding the highest energy savings during warmer months. The higher the solar reflective value the more efficient the product is in reflecting sunlight and heat away from the building and reducing roof temperature.
A study conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that the installation of highly reflective metal roofing coatings can save homeowners up to forty percent in summer cooling costs. Special pigments for metal roofing coatings have been developed and tested that increase the solar reflectivity of the metal roof. The vent technology creates an insulation barrier that aids heating during the winter months
The Metal Roofing Alliance is a not-for-profit organization formed to educate consumers on these and other benefits of metal roofing. Visit www.metalroofing.com to learn more about metal roofing and to find a metal roofing contractor in your area.
technorati | del.icio.us | Digg It! | facebook | reddit | StumbleUpon
Not yet a member? Sign up here
As the #1 educational resource for the residential metal roofing industry, the Metal Roofing Alliance helps match metal roofing contractors with interested home owners in your area. We help consumers decide if a metal roof is right for their home, and when they're ready, provide them with a list of contractors near their home.
Sign up
After learning about all that metal roofing has to offer through MetalRoofing.com, many homeowners are interested in installing a metal roof themselves. We make this home improvement project possible by directly connecting these homeowners to you, their local distributor.
Sign up
The goal of the MRA is to promote residential metal roofing by educating consumers on the many benefits of metal roofing. As a member manufacturer, you'll help promote the use of residential metal roofing to interested consumers, and gain access to consumer leads. For more information, contact Tom Black, Executive Director, at tlblack@metalroofing.com.
Member LOGIN