If you are thinking of installing a new roof on your house, then you have a lot to think about. Purchasing a roof is probably the single most expensive home improvement you can make. Apart from cost, you have to consider how the roof will look, what it will be made from, and how to get a roof that is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Green roofs can provide all these things.
Installing a green roof means more than just painting over your existing roof. Specifically, an eco-roof as it is also called, is a 100 percent vegetative roof with plants and a growth medium. All roofs have an underlying membrane between the plywood base and the covering itself. An eco-roof protects this membrane and can extend the life of a roof by as much as 200 percent.
City councils get very excited about living roofs. They create natural habitats for desirable bird and insect life, filter carbon dioxide and other impurities from the air and rainwater, act as a type of soundproofing, and mitigate the urban heat island effect (UHI).
The urban heat island effect refers to the fact that metropolitan areas are a lot warmer than the suburban and rural areas that surround it. Heat is created directly by human activity. The effect was first noticed in the early 19th century. The UHI contributes to increased length of growing seasons experienced by areas downwind of large cities.
The UHI effect is measurable. Traditional roofing materials, such as metal, shingles, slate, etc., all absorb solar radiation and then turn around and release it as heat. This is what causes city roof temperatures to become as high as 7 degrees warmer than in the suburbs. Having a living roof greatly reduces this effect. Chicago City Hall, for example, has an eco-roof. Compared to neighboring buildings with more conventional roofing materials, the City Hall roof is up to eight degrees cooler. Cities all over the country are beginning to find creative ways of encouraging homes and businesses to jump on board the eco-roof bandwagon.
Insect species like butterflies and bees and certain types of bird are attracted to vegetative roofs. Since it is urbanization that has decreased their available natural habitats, it seems only fair that we put something back to attract them. It is essential for our own survival. Bees, in particular, occupy a crucial niche in the ecosystem and are under particular threat.
Having a living roof can also help to reduce your carbon footprint. A chief component of plant matter, carbon is naturally absorbed from the atmosphere by growing vegetation. Eco-roofs decrease the amount of carbon dioxide that is exuded by power plants. Buildings in the United States account for a whopping 38 percent of CO2 emissions. Studies conducted in Michigan and Maryland confirm this effect.
A vegetative roof can save, and even earn you, money. By effectively insulating your home, energy bills for heating and air conditioning are drastically reduced. Moreover, cities are offering incentives in the form of grants, tax reductions, or rebates for installing an eco-roof. This is more likely to happen in areas where the UHI or polluted stormwater runoff are problems.
Installing a green roof means more than just painting over your existing roof. Specifically, an eco-roof as it is also called, is a 100 percent vegetative roof with plants and a growth medium. All roofs have an underlying membrane between the plywood base and the covering itself. An eco-roof protects this membrane and can extend the life of a roof by as much as 200 percent.
City councils get very excited about living roofs. They create natural habitats for desirable bird and insect life, filter carbon dioxide and other impurities from the air and rainwater, act as a type of soundproofing, and mitigate the urban heat island effect (UHI).
The urban heat island effect refers to the fact that metropolitan areas are a lot warmer than the suburban and rural areas that surround it. Heat is created directly by human activity. The effect was first noticed in the early 19th century. The UHI contributes to increased length of growing seasons experienced by areas downwind of large cities.
The UHI effect is measurable. Traditional roofing materials, such as metal, shingles, slate, etc., all absorb solar radiation and then turn around and release it as heat. This is what causes city roof temperatures to become as high as 7 degrees warmer than in the suburbs. Having a living roof greatly reduces this effect. Chicago City Hall, for example, has an eco-roof. Compared to neighboring buildings with more conventional roofing materials, the City Hall roof is up to eight degrees cooler. Cities all over the country are beginning to find creative ways of encouraging homes and businesses to jump on board the eco-roof bandwagon.
Insect species like butterflies and bees and certain types of bird are attracted to vegetative roofs. Since it is urbanization that has decreased their available natural habitats, it seems only fair that we put something back to attract them. It is essential for our own survival. Bees, in particular, occupy a crucial niche in the ecosystem and are under particular threat.
Having a living roof can also help to reduce your carbon footprint. A chief component of plant matter, carbon is naturally absorbed from the atmosphere by growing vegetation. Eco-roofs decrease the amount of carbon dioxide that is exuded by power plants. Buildings in the United States account for a whopping 38 percent of CO2 emissions. Studies conducted in Michigan and Maryland confirm this effect.
A vegetative roof can save, and even earn you, money. By effectively insulating your home, energy bills for heating and air conditioning are drastically reduced. Moreover, cities are offering incentives in the form of grants, tax reductions, or rebates for installing an eco-roof. This is more likely to happen in areas where the UHI or polluted stormwater runoff are problems.
About the Author:
Find out the benefits of green roofs with the help of this informative site. Gain full access to our homepage when you click on this link http://lynchroofingcorp.com.
Няма коментари:
Публикуване на коментар