'Green' Homeowners Turn to 'Green' Metal Roofing

BELFAIR, Wash., April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The EPA reports that $40
billion is spent annually in the United States to cool buildings. This
accounts for one-sixth of all electricity generated in a year. These
staggering statistics, coupled with the rising cost of heating and cooling
homes, have homeowners looking for ways to save the earth and save money on
energy costs.

Green building practices promote construction of buildings that are healthier
for the occupants and healthier for the environment. The metal roofing
industry's products are already environmentally friendly as most metal roofs
contain more than 25 percent recycled content. This level of recycled content
allows metal roofing to be included on listings of 'green' and recycled
content products. In addition, metal roofing is 100 percent recyclable.
Traditional roofing products, such as asphalt, contribute 13 billion pounds of
waste to U.S. landfills annually. Many metal roofs can be installed over an
existing roof, without tear-off and disposal.

A cool roof is often described as one that has a high solar reflectance and a
high thermal emittance. The emittance of a material refers to its ability to
release absorbed heat. A roof is 'cool' if its surface temperature is lower,
and as a result, the cooling load in the building is reduced. Solar
reflectance is the most important characteristic of a roof product in terms of
yielding the highest energy savings during warmer months. The higher the
solar reflective value the more efficient the product is in reflecting
sunlight and heat away from the building and reducing roof temperature.

A study conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that the installation
of highly reflective metal roofing coatings can save homeowners up to forty
percent in summer cooling costs. Special pigments for metal roofing coatings
have been developed and tested that increase the solar reflectivity of the
metal roof. The vent technology creates an insulation barrier that aids
heating during the winter months

The Metal Roofing Alliance is a not-for-profit organization formed to educate
consumers on these and other benefits of metal roofing. Visit
www.metalroofing.com to learn more about metal roofing and to find a metal
roofing contractor in your area.

Hi res photos available at www.metalroofing.com.

SOURCE Metal Roofing Alliance

Jean Miskimon, +1-410-215-9891, jean@metalroofing.com, for the Metal Roofing
Alliance