Cool Roofing

Why is Metal Roofing considered “Green”?

If you remember from two of our previous articles relating, the bp oil spill (part 1 and part 2) to the use of shingle roofing than this article will make perfect sense. Every year over 13 billion pound of asphalt shingles go into land fills, which could all be prevented because metal roofing is:

  • 100% Recyclable at the end of it’s lifespan
  • Metal roofing has a lifespan 2-3 times as long as shingles
  • Metal roofs already have recycled content of 20-30%
  • Steel is the most recycled material in North America
  • Shingle Roofs are made up of more oil and raw materials (see chart)

But what about rainwater? Is there more poluttion from a metal roof or a shingle roof? The answer is shingle roofing is more toxic because:

  • Shingle roofs have a permeable surface and rain water washes away the oils and particles that rise to the top of the shingle as the shingle drys out

But what about solar reflectance and insualtion? Which roof is more energy efficient? Metal roofing is more energy efficient because:

  • Metal roofs are coated to reflect sunlight and have infared pigments to keeo the roof cool in the summer
  • Metal roofs are also much thinner and have less mass which means they hold less heat given them a higher emissivity
  • Metal roofs are tax credit eligible for the $1500 rebate!

And finally, what about integrating solar? Metal roofs are the best option for solar because:

  • You can go with traditional solar panels using an s-5 bracket which requires no roof penetrations or
  • You can go with solar thin film, an aesthetically pleasing and extremely durable option

For more information or a FREE metal roof estimate call Global Home Improvement at 888-234-2929

Metal Roofing Resource Guide; Standing Seam, Metal Shingle, Metal Solar Roof and More

Welcome to a quick Metal Roofing Resource Guide.  If you have looked into installing a residential metal roof than you know that there is a ton of information out there. The one thing you may not know about metal roof information is where to find it all! That is why Global Home Improvement has teamed up with New England Metal Roof to provide you the best places to learn about standing seam metal roofing, interlocking metal shingles, stone coated metal shingles, metal solar roofing and more.

Standing Seam Metal Roofing

MetalRoofingNJ.com/standingseambenefits.html - Standing Seam Benefits for NJ and New Jersey

MetalRoofingPA.com/standingseamtypes.html – Standing Seam Types in PA and Philadelphia

MetalRoofingDE.com/photo_gallery.html – Standing Seam Photos in DE and Delaware

DrexMet.com - Standing Seam Metal Roofing Manufacturer by Drexel Metals

Metal Shingle Roofing and Shingle Metal Roofs

Decra.com – Stone Coated Steel Shingle Manufacturer – Steel Tile and Steel Shake

Atas.com -  Kynar Coated Aluminum Shingle Manufacturer – Castle Top Shingles too

Classic Roof Systems - Interlocking Steel and Aluminum Metal Shingle Manufacturer

Solar Metal Roofing and PV Film

Green Solar Cafe – Renewable Energy and Green Roofing Information

Global Home Solar Thin Film – Installer of metal solar roofing in PA, NJ and DE

Uni-Solar.com - Manufacturer of Thin Film Solar in America

Mysolarroof.com – Drexel Metals Solar Thin Film Page – Integrated Solar and Metal

Metal Roofing Prices and Estimates

Metal Roofing Calculator -  Helps estimate cost of standing seam roofs, copper roofs and zinc roofs

Metal Roofing Contractors and Installers

New England Metal Roof Directory – Contractors and Installers throughout the Country

Metal Roofing Manufacturers - More Metal Roofing Contractors in the US

Metal Roofing You Tube Videos

Metal and Flat Roof Installation – Cool Flat Roofing You Tube Video’s

Metal Roofing DE TestimonialsMetal Man Video and Testimonials

We hope that this metal roofing resource guide will help you with the purchase of a new metal roof for your residential or commercial building. Make all your neighbors jealous with a metal roof that comes in over 35 different colors and dozens of different styles. Metal roofing is the “green” choice for it’s light weight, high recycled content, reflective coatings and long lifespan. If you have installed a metal roof than you are helping to make this world a better place one roof at a time. Stay tuned to GreenisGlobal.net for more metal roofing blog postings or check out another great metal roofing blog at Metal Roofing Blogspot. Thank you again for visiting our metal roofing resource guide and metal roofing blog.

For additional information and metal roofing estimates you can call us anytime at 888-234-2929.

Lifecycle of Shingles no where near Metal Roofing!

asphalt-steel-shinglesGoing “Green” is a global concept that needs to be executed locally. We have found that the growing trend of metal roofing directly relates to the ecological awareness of homeowners! Metal Roofing is 100% recyclable whereas traditional roofing products, such as asphalt, contribute 13 billion pounds of waste to U.S. landfills annually!!

According to the popular asphalt shingle brand Certainteed, even a one-year-old roof may look different than a roof that was just installed. Asphalt is one of the primary ingredients in roofing shingles. Its purpose is to provide the waterproofing integrity for the roof. Asphalt, which is derived from petroleum, contains the oils that provide ductility and pliability to the shingles. During the lifetime of the shingles these oils begin to rise to the surface, where they are washed away by rainwater. In an attempt to restore equilibrium, new oils surface and the washing process continues. Also, the intense heat of the roof oxidizes or hardens the asphalt over time.

Metal Roofs when installed with proper drip edge and z-flashing are built to expand and contrast with the elements and with a 35 year paint finish warranty, they’ll look as new as the day it was installed! It isn’t just the dependability that people love about long-living metal roofing; it’s the low life cycle cost. Few homeowners realize until after the fact but metal roofing can actually cost as little or less than asphalt roofing. Since asphalt roofing needs to be replaced 2 – 4 times as often as metal roofing, you really need to multiply not only the initial cost of asphalt roofing materials but also the cost of asphalt roof repairs and re-installation man hours to compare to the typical “once-a-lifetime” metal roofing installation.

Metal Roofing and Solar Marketing Special

Global Home Improvement is gearing up for a busy fall season….We want to thank everyone for their continued support of our go green initiative and with that we are offering an exclusive 10% off the total project cost of a metal and integrated solar project that we can market online and in magazines. Our marketing budget is typically 10% of every job, so why not pass this along to a customer that helps us market their project…Click Here to Submit Your Project

solar-metal-roof-global-marketing

The 5 “must knows” part IV: Cool Roof Coatings

cool metal tax credit certIf you remember from our original metal roofing “must know” article; all metal roof coatings are not created equal.

Metal roofing comes in many different substrates from aluminum to galvalume but what gives it the long-term warranty, reflective properties and energy savings is the Kynar coating.

Using a panel with a Kynar coating allows you to receive a 35 Year Non Pro-rated Kynar® PaintWarranty with a 20 year Galvalume® Substrate Warranty. This includes protection against cracking, peeling, flaking or fading.  For a 35 year period your panel will not change color more than 5 Hunter units on vertical installations.

Now that we addressed some of the technical issues that our architects love, let’s talk about energy savings! Metal roofing is energy star rated which allows you to receive $1500 in tax credits. But why is this such an energy saving roof?

Metal roofing has an R value which is a measure of the solar reflectance of a surface. This allows homes with cool coated metal roofs to experience up to 40% savings on their home cooling bill.  In addition, urban smog is reduced when environmental temperatures are reduced, and the life expectancy of the roof increases due to less expansion and contraction.

All metal roofing colors that we recommend installing, are eligible for the $1500 tax credit because of their cool Kynar coating. As you can imagine, some colors reflect more solar rays, such as lighter, natural colors as well as premium metallic colors. Whatever solution and color you choose, ask for a cool roof certification(see picture above) so that you can feel confident in your roof’s energy saving capabilities.

Cool roofing is key to a cool planet

cool_roof_reflective_metalA modest proposal to cool the planet by cooling the neighborhood.

Berkeley Lab scientists and energy efficiency guru Art Rosenfeld — a California Energy Commissioner and former Berkeley Lab scientist — have proposed a “Cool World” plan that would use white roofs, and solar-reflective roofs of other colors, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help delay atmospheric heating effects. Think globally: If all the world’s roofs and pavement used cool materials, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions would be equivalent to taking the world’s 600 million cars off the road for 18 years.

The fruits of this cooperation are now widely available in the U.S. marketplace. Cool, solar-reflective roofing materials in a wide variety of colors and all common types, including asphalt shingle, clay and cement tile, and METAL, are available from several U.S. roofing material manufacturers. These products have received Energy Star labels, and an industry council, the Cool Roof Rating Council, ensures that cool roofing products are correctly labeled.

Green is Global and Global Home Improvement are doing our part to install affordable roofing solutions throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. We are located in Bucks County, right outside of Philadelphia and have expert installation professionals to help consult you on your new cool roof!