Green Built Roofing

Obviously we’d like to see every home have an energy efficient roof. We’d like to see every home have a roof that is made from mostly recycled content and that won’t summarily be dumped in landfill. We’d like to see this growing movement of green roofing move faster.

In the mean time, I offer 3R Roofing’s idea of Good, Better, Best in roof system choices for your home or project:

GOOD

Standard asphalt shingle roof with ventilation upgrade (50% intake, 50% exhaust), evaporative cooling instead of air conditioner, additional attic insulation, reflective underlayment or sheeting (radiant barrier), create natural shading with trees, eaves, blinds, awnings, low E windows.

BETTER

“Cool Roof” with EnergyStar products and balanced ventilation, other items as above, interstidial ventilation (between roof deck and underside of roof can be done with batten and lathe for tile and stone coated steel or nail base systems with integrated cross venting for asphalt shingles). Interstidial ventilation disperses most heat gain before it migrates to attic and living/work space.

BEST

“Cool Roof” with EnergyStar products, balanced ventilation, energy audit to determine where consumption of elecricity (70% of electricity in Colorado is produced by the burning of coal) and natural gas and other non-renewable fuels can be reduced, PV-Solar-Electric systems, thermal solar system (warm air with “solar sheat”, hot water, radiant floor heat, home heating with holding tank) and wind power (sign up for wind renewable energy program through Xcel or other), other items as above.

SOLUTIONS/INDUSTRIAL-COMMERCIAL

GOOD

TPO  and PVC, EPDM with releflective coating, E-Star modified bitumen (some recyled content), minimum taper of 1/4″ per foot with appropriate drainages (EPS taper), good substrate insulation, balanced ventilation where possible, (heat containment, heat reflectance on interior)

BETTER

Consider Polyiso foam at 1/4″ per foot tapered insulation which is HCFC free and Greenzone approved instead of EPS taper (extruded poly styrene), or other items as above, consideration of adequate ventilation system (HRV or other).

BEST

Berm roof dirt with natural landscajping (extensive, simi-intensive, intensive); comprised of PVC single ply membrane and laters of filtration, ballast, dirt and ecoscape (natrual beauty, heat gain is non-issue, interior ventilation becomes more important; has been done for years in Europe, new trend in USA Commercial (grants available).

WHAT IS GREEN BUILT ROOFING?

It is really pretty simple. Green built roofing is about reducing the energy consumption of non-renewable fuels with Energy Star, Cool Roof and ventilation products and about producing renewable energy through PV-Solar-electric and Thermal-Solar roof and exterior applied systems. And, it’s about saving money while helping the planet.

The choices that one may make about roofing material, ventilation, and renewable energy systems can have a profound effect on the amount of coal, natural gas and other non-renewable fuels we burn here in the State of Colorado and across the Country. And, as the cost of energy consumed goes up, our efficient use of it and clean production of it acts as a dividend. We are saving more and more money over time and reducing more and more of the green house gases and pollution that harms our environment and our health.

Green built roofing is also about resource conservation. There are many excellent field-tested roofing materials available that have high-recycled content. Steel and other metals are among those.

We are also proud to announce a major change in the industry of recycling old asphalt tear off shingles (RAS) here in Colorado. 3R Roofing is the Co-Founder of Roofs to Roads Colorado and is an active recycler of asphalt tear off shingles, which are to be used in road paving. Find out more atwww.roofs2roadscolorado.org

The time is now for making thoughtful energy and resource conscious choices about residential and commercial/industrial construction materials. Green built roofing materials and systems play a very important part in this process. Thank you for considering 3R Roofing and we look forward to working with you on your Green Built Roofing project!

David Coddington
3R Roofing LLC
Innovative Roofing and Solar Solutions
www.3RRoofing.com