While considering the feasibility of the roofing materials, the raw materials used to make the roofing plays an important part. Sustainable material is made without permanently damaging its resource. Environmental experts would also require that sourcing the material does not result in any significant damage to Mother Nature. Therefore, roofing materials that make use of mined minerals or fossil fuels are not considered sustainable as these come from an irreplaceable source.
Sustainability Of Different Roofing Materials
Different materials used for roofing have different levels of sustainability. Below, we discuss the sustainability levels of various roofing materials.
Metal Roofing
Even though metal roofs are energy-intensive to make, they have a long life and can add to the beauty of your home. Commonly used metal roofing materials are aluminum and steel and these materials can reflect some heat to decrease heat gain. However, they need to be properly insulated as these metals are great at conducting heat. Metal roofing is made with materials that are mined from the earth and so they cannot be considered sustainable.
Clay Tile Roofing
Clay tiles are used in roof installation as they are very durable and heavy. Original clay tiles are made from natural clay that is shaped and fired to make them durable and strong. Some types of clay tiles receive special paints for color and other properties. The clay used in the manufacture of clay tiles is available plenty and so many clay tile manufacturers claim that the product can be considered sustainable.
Asphalt Shingles
The standard asphalt shingles used by many residential roofing contractors are moderately durable and have good levels of heat reflectivity. The heat reflectivity of asphalt shingles can depend much on their color and design. Asphalt shingles are made with paper, tar, fiberglass, and other petroleum products. Some manufacturers use discarded asphalt shingles to make new ones, but mostly, shingles are not recycled much and are not biodegradable. Moreover, being a petroleum-based product, asphalt shingles are not sustainable.
Slate Roofing
Slate roofs are much durable and may even outlast a house. Being incredibly durable, this type of roofing can be very expensive and takes significant resources to mine, process, and transport. Mining is not a sustainable practice and due to the weight of slate roofing, strong roof framing is necessary to support them. The need for extra roof framing will use additional resources that are not required when using lightweight roofing options. All these factors make slate roofing not sustainable.