So you're looking to go green! There are a lot of green products to choose from so hopefully this page can help you decide on a material to suit your needs. Below are the different categories of materials, companies that supply them, and why they are green:
Light Colored Shingles - The lighter the shingle color, the more sunlight it reflects and therefore the the cooler your attic stays. This is the cheepest way to keep your house cooler in the summer and score a small amount of green points. All three of the companies listed on our main materials page supply shingles that fall under this category. Just look for the Energy Star label next to the shingle color. (Currently all Energy Star rated shingles are tax rebate eligible.) Also, all of the products listed below are reflective in nature and therefore have lower temperatures than a normal shingle roof.
Natural Roofing Materials - There are some great natural roofing materials that have been around for centuries. The main materials that are still regularly used today are cedar shakes and natural slate. These products are great because they are all natural and they tend to have a long life span.
Clay Tile - Although a large amount of energy is used in the manufacturing process of clay tiles, they have a long life span and are extremely durable therefore making them a green choice. Also, many of the manufacturers are starting to make tile that contain some recycled materials keeping waste out of our landfills.
Recycled & Recyclable Roofing Products - This category of products takes the materials that would have been thrown away and recycles them into roofing materials. Also, metal roofing falls into this category because much of the metal used to make the roofing product is from recycled sources and it can be recycled at the end of it's usuable life as a roof covering.
Actual Green Roofs - Green roofs are a great way to beautify your house. Unfortunately, this type of roof is really better suited for new construction or major renovation but it's a fun product to know about. This system basically consists of building a large bathtub-like roof one to two feet deep with a drain on one side. In that area, a light growing medium with small plants is added to give your roof a real green look. The big advantage of this system is that not only do you have a living roof but you also double the life span of the roof because the actual roofing materials are sheilded from the harsh sun by the plants.