Everyone is trying to do their bit to save the environment. We’ve even incorporated it into our home in the form of, green cleaning, green lighting and even green energy. So why not a green roof? Like every other part of your home, roofs, too, can be considered environmentally friendly. All you need o do is substitute asphalt shingles with recycled materials like metal, wood, plastic or rubber—or if it can be recycled again at the end of its lifespan. Essentially, the longer a roof lasts and the more heat it reflects, the more environmentally friendly it is, something that conventional asphalt tiles cannot claim to be. Here are a few green alternatives you can use instead of asphalt shingles:

Recycled shingles

Recycled shingles are one of the most environmentally friendly roofing materials around as they are made from post-consumer or post-industrial waste. These shingles consist of redirected waste from a landfill and require no extraction of raw materials to make them, unlike traditional asphalt tiles. As a result, recycled shingles come with a 50-year warranty and can be recycled once again at the end of their lifespan. This way you can be sure that your roof is made of environmentally safe materials, that can be recycled and reused in another form once discarded.

Slate and clay roofs
The best way to help protect your roof and the environment is by using materials that are natural, readily available and non-exhaustive. The best examples of such materials are clay and slate. Both slate and clay have been around for centuries and have been used as roofing materials as well. Not only this but they are durable and can last for hundreds of years making them the perfect materials to roof your home with. While they can’t be recycled to their original state, but can be salvaged and converted into other materials once their lifespan has expired.

Slate and clay are heavy materials. Before considering them as roofing materials, you need to conduct a thorough inspection of your building to check if it can handle the weight of either of these materials. Clay shingles are best used for homes in warmer climates. Cold weather will continually freeze and thaw your roof and clay shingles will not be able to handle these temperature changes, eventually getting damaged in the process. Slate and clay also have high reflective properties that can keep your home cool. This means homeowners can cut down on their energy bills in the long run. All these factors contribute to slate and clay being some of the best green roofing materials.

Rubber roofing
Rubber might not be the obvious choice for green living let alone a roofing material. Homeowners might not even be aware of for their roofs or even consider it. However, rubber roofing sheets come with several benefits. For one, rubbers roofs require very little maintenance when compared to traditional roofing materials. As a homeowner, all you need to do is repaint your rubber roof with an acrylic paint every 10 to 12 years. Furthermore, another aspect of green roofing is reducing energy costs – something you can accomplish with rubber roofing sheets.

Firstly rubber roofs take much less energy to be manufactured than any other roofing material. Secondly, they are fire-resistant making them the ultimate choice for factories, warehouses, residential properties, etc. Finally, they have high reflective properties ensuring your home does not get heated up in the summer months, thus reducing your air-conditioning bills.

Metal roofing
Using metal roofing sheets may seem counterproductive when aiming to go green and keep your home cool. However, these metal roofing sheets are made of a specially coated metal, sometimes with a coat of paint that possesses a light reflecting pigment. If you still aren’t convinced about the choosing metal sheets as your roofing material, here are some of their advantages.

While durability is one of the biggest advantages of metal roofing sheets, they are also versatile and can be installed right on top of your existing roof. They are fire resistant and highly reflective which reduces cooling costs for your property. Metal roofs also offer the perfect solution if you live in colder climes. It is a common occurrence for snow and ice to accumulate on your roof in such regions. With a metal roof, ice and snow will slide ride off. Furthermore, when rainwater, melted snow and ice slide off you can use the recycled water to water your garden, wash your car, etc. And speaking of recycling, metal roofing sheets are among the easiest materials to recycle.

If we’ve convinced you to go green with your roofing choices, then head over to Dura Roof for the best metal roofing sheets. Our sheets are coated with an Aluminium-Zinc alloy that makes them corrosion resistant and the hallmark of modern roofing technology.