What Are The Benefits ENERGY STAR® Metal Roofing?
Choosing metal roofing for your home or construction project is a great idea, and comes with many benefits.
To learn more about the real benefits and savings of having an ENERGY STAR® approved building, please, give us a call or contact us online today.
Weather Resistance
Metal roofing is in a class by itself when it comes to protection from severe weather, carrying the highest wind, impact, and fire ratings available.
Unlike asphalt shingles, which are only secured by one row of nails and an asphalt adhesive at the laps, metal roofing is secured by screws and is applied in one continuous piece from the eave to the ridge. This design significantly increases wind uplift resistance and minimizes the areas where wind or rain can penetrate the roof surface. Additionally, metal saves you from having to do periodic repairs due to isolated shingle blow-offs – a common occurrence during thunderstorms and other high wind events.
Metal roofing carries the highest wind, impact, and fire ratings, so no matter where you live, metal provides the best protection for your home or business.
Energy Efficiency
Another way metal roofs can save you money is by reducing energy costs.
Asphalt shingles absorb and retain heat which translates to elevated attic temperatures both day and night. This greatly increases the cooling load on your air conditioning unit. In contrast, metal roofs reflect a large percentage of the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere and cool rapidly once the sun goes down. This results in much lower attic temperatures and greatly reduced energy consumption for cooling.
In order to be ENERGY STAR® certified, a roofing material must reflect at least 25% of the sun’s energy. The best performing colors reflect as much as 70%.
Studies conducted by the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have shown that metal roofs with ENERGY STAR® certified high reflectance coatings can reduce cooling costs up to 40 % compared to typical asphalt shingles. Our customers have reported an average 30% decrease in cooling costs after having us install ENERGY STAR® metal roofing on their dwellings.
Reduced Landfills
Metal roofing is 100% recyclable and for existing dwellings, the metal can often be installed directly over asphalt shingles, eliminating the need for their disposal in a landfill.
Metal roofs are one of the greenest roofing products available, due to being 100% recyclable and being typically produced with a minimum of 20% recycled content. This allows metal roofs to meet industry recognized green building definitions.
Additionally, metal roofs can be installed directly over asphalt shingles in most applications, eliminating the need for landfill disposal.
Asphalt shingles generate an astounding amount of landfill waste each year, estimated at over 6.8 million tons. Their production also requires oil refining by-products such as asphalt which have continued to escalate in price.
Using an alternative green product such as metal greatly benefits the environment by reducing the carbon footprint and minimizing the production of waste going to a landfill.
Green Product
Metal roofing performs well as a green product due to its energy efficiency, long lifespan, and high reflectance properties.
ENERGY STAR® metal roofs help reduce the amount of urban heat build-up by reflecting a high percentage of the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere rather than absorbing and retaining heat like other construction materials do such as concrete and typical asphalt shingles.Lifecycle Costs
Homeowners and other stakeholders can quickly recoup the upfront investment through significantly lower lifecycle costs.
Savings can come in the form of reduced insurance premiums. Many insurance companies offer reduced rates for buildings with metal roofs.
Additionally, metal saves you from having to do periodic repairs due to isolated shingle blow-offs – a common occurrence during thunderstorms and other high wind events.
Metal roofs are a premium roofing option and usually cost more than asphalt shingles. However, this premium is now smaller than it has ever been due to an improved metal roofing installer base and the continued escalation of asphalt shingle prices.
Curb Appeal
The paint and coating systems on metal roofing retain their original finish for decades, resisting the stains, buckling, fading, and granule loss that affects other roof types.
This results in a better return on investment and value increase for the building compared to an asphalt shingle roof. For example, the residential cost handbook reported that the appraised value of a home increased by $1.35 per square foot when a metal roof was installed.