These days, we’re all doing what we can to lower our impact on the environment. Making your Littleton, CO home as eco-friendly as possible benefits not only the well being of the planet, but also your bank account, given that you can score major savings on your energy bills. As part of the structure of your home, your roofing system has an impact on its overall energy efficiency. Multiple eco-friendly roofing options are available today and can be installed to reduce your environmental impact. Here, we’ll discuss these options and how each one may benefit your Littleton home.

Roofing Materials For Energy Efficiency

Recycled Roofing Materials

Recycled shingles are now available as an eco-friendly roofing option. This roofing material choice is an optimal choice for environmentally-conscious homeowners in Littleton. Recycled roof shingles are made from recycled materials such as wood fiber, plastic, or rubber. These shingles may be constructed of waste from homes or waste from factories, depending on how the materials are sourced.

By choosing recycled roof shingles, you’re helping lower the volume of waste that ends up in landfills. Additionally, the production of recycled roof shingles reduces global energy use and pollution by cutting down on the extraction and processing of organic materials.

Remarkably, recycled shingles can provide numerous benefits to your roofing system that aren’t solely environmental. The most notable benefit is the durability of recycled roof shingles. Recycled roof shingles hold up well to environmental strain and will help preserve the lifespan of your roof. Additionally, many types of recycled roof shingles have a high fire rating. This not only protects your roof in the case of fire, but may also reduce your homeowners insurance rates.

Metal Roofing

Oftentimes, the metal used in roof construction features some amount of recycled material. But, in addition to this environmental benefit, metal roofing can be recycled once it has reached its full lifespan. So, by choosing metal for your Littleton roof installation, you can feel good in knowing that it won’t have to go to a landfill once it hits the end of its life.

Metal roofs are highly durable and provide the option to collect rainwater for various applications (gardening, household needs, etc.). As an added benefit for Colorado homeowners, metal roofing performs well in snow. A metal roof allows snow to simply slide off, largely cutting down the risk for ice dams and icicle formation.

Reclaimed Slate or Clay Roofing

Slate and clay have long been used in roof construction, and for good reason. These roofing materials are highly durable and long-lasting, as well as attractive for the exterior of your home. Reclaimed slate and clay roof tiles are excellent for the environment, as they were salvaged from an old roof and can be installed in a new one. This reduces the amount of roof waste that ends up in landfills while lowering energy usage due to roof material production.

As roof materials, slate and clay have a long lifespan with a high resistance to damage. The elegant, vintage appearance of reclaimed slate and clay roof tiles can become a talking point for your Littleton home.

More Tips For Eco-Friendly Roofing

Select a Light-Colored Roof

The color of your roof will have a significant impact on the amount of heat that’s absorbed into your home. Dark roofing absorbs more heat from the sun and will transfer some of that heat into your home. During the hot summer months, this will force your air conditioner to work harder, leading to higher home energy usage. Light-colored roofing, on the other hand, deflects much of the heat from the sun’s rays, allowing your air conditioner to work more efficiently.

Install Insulation

Attic insulation helps to preserve the temperature inside of your home. No matter the weather outside, attic insulation will keep the outdoor temperature from affecting your living spaces. This will boost the efficiency of your HVAC system.

Preserve Ventilation

A ventilation system for your roof and attic will help circulate hot air out of your attic. If the room isn’t ventilated, hot air from outside can get trapped in your attic. Eventually, this hot air will permeate throughout your home and force your air conditioner to work harder.

For more information about eco-friendly roofing, contact Anderson Builders today.