Charlotte’s commercial roofing company helps lower your ecological footprint
Charlotte’s commercial roofing company recommends that building owners familiarize themselves with modern environment-friendly roofing options to contribute to a better, safer, healthier environment.
How the roofing industry has affected the environment
Whether a commercial roof repair or commercial roof replacement, construction is a significant venture that always features an environmental cost. And commercial roofing is not an exception.
Debris disposal from removing roof, insulation, and underlayment materials needs additional labor and transportation to comply with proper waste disposal practices. Regardless, these materials always end up in already overcrowded landfills. The USA alone disposes of about 11 million tons of asphalt shingles. This is exclusive of other forms of roofing projects’ waste. Shingle waste makes up 10% of total construction and demolition debris.
The good news is that more residential and commercial roofing companies are committing to sustainable building materials. These range from a sustainable roof coating and solar-ready roofs to recycled materials.
The commercial roofing industry has come a long way regarding sustainability, with various choices to consider below:
EPDM Rubber
The EPDM Roofing Association launched a project to establish the feasibility of recycling EPDM roofing in 2006. Years later, EPDM recycling is now North America’s largest commercial roofing recycling project. Once EPDM roofs are recycled, the material is used to create walkway pads for new or existing roofs.
Metal Roofing
Metal is amongst a few options that can be applied in residential and commercial settings. Not only is it used on many low-sloped roofs, but it also boasts longevity and low maintenance requirements. This makes metal an excellent choice for large parking facilities, warehouses, farm buildings, etc.
TPO Roofing
TPO stands for Thermoplastic Polyolefin, a 100% recyclable material that can be melted, purified, and refined. Recycled TPO membranes are usually incorporated into the bottom ply of new TPO roofing membranes. Several manufacturers provide TPO membranes containing recycled content.
PVC Roofing
PVC roofs can be installed directly over existing roofs. This saves energy resources and labor needed to tear off old roofs, preventing old materials from going to landfills. This roofing also needs much fewer non-renewable resources to manufacture than single-ply or built-up roof systems. It is also a commercial roofing material that can be recycled directly into new roofing products.
Sustainable Roof Coatings
They are the easiest way to move towards sustainable roofing without fully overhauling your commercial roof. Simply apply light-colored roof coating to a black, uncoated roof to cut down heat absorption by 20 to 50%. That significantly eases the load on the air conditioning systems.
Add a Skylight
Finding ways to conserve energy resources is excellent for reducing your carbon footprint. Skylights on commercial roofs introduce natural light into the business, reducing the need for artificial lighting. Besides, skylights invite the sun’s warmth into the commercial building on cold days. This can help lower heating costs.
Choose Charlotte’s commercial roofing company
Looking for commercial roofing services? It’s important to note that your roofer can impact the environment positively or negatively. Choose to utilize sustainable building materials with expert installation from Charlotte’s commercial roofing company.
Steele Restoration is a fully licensed and insured Charlotte NC and Greenville SC-based general contractor and roofing company specializing in roofing, siding, and storm damage restoration for single-family homes, multi-family complexes, and commercial and industrial sites. We service Charlotte and surrounding areas, including Rock Hill, Lake Norman, Steele Creek, Matthews, Ballantyne, and Blakeney, along with Greenville and Spartanburg SC areas.