Last updated on February 10th, 2021 at 01:10 pm
Canadian homeowners are sending a powerful message to the home building industry when they choose to purchase a permanent and sustainable roofing system.
Most common roofing options in Canada are nothing but a detriment to our environment. Temporary roofing solutions have high oil content, are heavy and expensive to transport, encourage summertime heat transmission into the home, need to be replaced every 12 – 20 years, and are a major contributor to landfill burden. With every Classic Metal Roof that is being installed across Canada, friends and neighbours are seeing first hand that there is a better option in terms of beauty, durability and sustainability.
Recycled Content
Our aluminum roofing systems have 95% recycled content, and our steel roofing systems have up to 35% recycled content. Most of that is consumer waste – used beverage containers. Other than certain insulation products, there is probably no other major building component that has greater recycled content than metal roofing.
Minimal Carbon Footprint
The recycled content of a Classic Metal Roof means that our roof systems have minimal carbon footprint. Recycled aluminum has an estimated 5% of the embodied energy of virgin aluminum. Traditional asphalt and fibreglass shingles, on the other hand, have incredibly high oil content as well as embodied energy in their production. There is a huge infrastructure of over 100 manufacturing facilities for traditional shingles across North America. Planned obsolescence (necessitating more raw materials) is part of the business plan for these companies. More “natural” roofing materials like wood, slate, and tile do nothing but rob precious natural resources directly from our earth.
Energy Savings
A Classic Metal Roof System reduces building energy costs by keeping summertime heat where it belongs – outside. Once that heat enters a building, it is costly to get rid of. Our goal is to keep it from ever getting into the building. The roof, because it is so susceptible to the sun’s heat, is the single most important component of any building in terms of achieving summer energy efficiency.
Metal roofing is so energy efficient that it is considered a Cool Roofing System due to it’s high emissivity and SRI ratings. Eligible for a Cool Roofing Grant from The City of Toronto Department of Energy and Environment, Classic homeowners are also saving up to 25% on their cooling bills while reducing stress on the power grid and heat island mitigation effect.
Reduces Landfill Waste
An aluminum Classic roof weighs less than 45 pounds per 100 square feet. This compares to 275 – 425 pounds for standard asphalt and fiberglass shingles. In a re-roofing situation, the low weight of metal roofing makes it ideal for going over the old shingles. The added weight is probably less than the old shingles have lost due to granule deterioration and oil evaporation. This means that old roofing materials do not need to be disposed of in a landfill where their high oil content could be potentially harmful. Not having to remove the old roof saves the property owner mess and money. Leaving the old roof in place increases the overall energy efficiency of a home as well, by providing an extra insulating layer to the building envelope. The low weight of metal can also extend a structure’s life, particularly in the case of older buildings or buildings located in earthquake-prone areas.
An estimated 20 billion pounds of asphalt shingles end up in landfills each year. The average roof adds 12,000 – 15,000 pounds of waste to local landfill.
The low weight of a Classic Metal Roof also reduces the cost of transport. A semi-truck can transport as much as ten times the amount of Classic Metal Roofing materials than other heavier materials.
Zero Out-Gassing
Because it does not have a petroleum base, there is virtually zero out-gassing associated with metal roofing. This contrasts sharply with standard asphalt shingles whose high oil content is always out-gassing, creating a potentially harmful environmental situation.
100% Recyclable
Other roofing materials require eventual disposal in a landfill. While the durability of a Classic Metal Roof ensures that replacement will likely never be necessary, if the structure is torn down at some point, metal roofing is 100% recyclable. In fact, particularly with aluminum, it will even have high scrap value at the time that it is removed. So, instead of paying to get rid of the roof at the end of its useful life, you will actually receive money for your aluminum roof.
Permanent Durability
This is perhaps the single largest “green” benefit of a Classic Metal Roof. Whereas other roofing materials have an expected lifespan of just 12 – 20 years (much less in harsh environments), a Classic Roof can be expected to last indefinitely. Our Lifetime Limited Warranty provides property owners with great assurance that their Classic roof will not only benefit the environment but also their bank account.
Want to Learn More?
See what David Suzuki has to say about the “greenest roofing” in Canada.