If you are looking to replace your existing roof or are choosing materials for new roof construction, there are more sustainable roofing options on the market than ever before. Let’s dive into the top 12 most sustainable roofing materials and help you make the right choice for your home.
#1: Metal Roofing
Metal roofing is a category of materials that includes many different types of metal and often an amalgam of different metals are used to increase strength and durability. Common roofing metals include:
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Galvanized or stone-coated steel
- Zinc
- Tin
Benefits of Metal Roofing Materials
As one of the top green roofing options, the benefits of using metal roofing materials include:
- Longevity — Lasting between 40 to 70 years on average
- Weather resistance – Standing up in extreme climates and under harsh weather conditions
- Increased home value – Quality, durability, and reduced replacement costs can be attractive to home buyers
Environmental Impact and Sustainability Features
Metal roofing sustainability features include:
- Recyclability – Fully recyclable at the end of their life cycle, minimizing waste and reducing the need for new raw materials.
- Energy efficiency – Reflective properties help reduce energy costs by as much as 20 percent.
- Long life span – Less frequent replacement amounts to less material in landfills.
Ideal Home Styles
Metal roofing is not well-suited for all types of homes, but are best with more modern or contemporary styles with clean lines and a minimalistic aesthetic, including industrial-inspired designs, Craftsman styles, or mid-century modern.
#2: Solar Tiles
Solar tiles, also known as photovoltaic shingles, are traditional looking shingles that also contain properties that generate electricity much the same as solar panels. They are manufactured to integrate into the roofing structure and generate electricity by absorbing the sun’s rays.
Advantages of Integrating Solar with Roofing
Some solar roofing benefits include:
- Dual purpose – Uses solar energy to produce renewable energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Easy installation – Can be installed quickly, much like traditional roofing shingles
- Versatility – Can be used on a variety of different home styles
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Solar Roofing Tiles
Solar roofing tiles are more expensive than traditional roofing shingles, but do offer lower energy costs, which will make up for the higher upfront costs over time. Compared to solar panels, solar tiles provide a slightly lower energy efficiency, but their seamless design offers more aesthetic advantages.
Suitable Architectures for Solar Tiles
Much like solar panels, not all homes are architecturally structured or ideally positioned to absorb solar energy to convert to usable electricity. South facing roof orientation with little obstruction and flatter roofs with more surface area are more ideal for solar tiles. Roof strength is less important for roof tiles as it is for heavier solar panels.
#3: Green Roofs (Living Roofs)
Green roofs, or sometimes referred to as living roofs, are much what the name suggests. They are constructed with a waterproof membrane and in a way that can accommodate a layer of soil to grow vegetation. Green roofs only suitable for low-slope or flat roofs.
The benefits of living roofs as an eco-friendly roofing option for urban and residential buildings include:
- A reduction of heat island effects
- Increased management of stormwater runoff
- Improvement of air quality and energy efficiency
- Expansion of wildlife habitat and human access to nature
- Enhanced aesthetic appeal
Maintenance and Installation Considerations
Green roofs require extra maintenance, like watering, fertilizing, and weeding as well as seasonal considerations, much like a garden. Cultivation during the first five years is important to ensure well-established vegetation that will sustain over time.
Proper installation, including a waterproof membrane, a root barrier, and drainage system, is important for a successful green roof. It is also important that the building structure is capable of supporting the heavier roof.
#4: Recycled or Composite Shingles
Another eco-friendly roofing option is the use of recycled shingles, which are synthetic roofing shingles that are made from recycled materials.
Types of Materials Used in Recycled Shingles
The materials used in recycled shingles include old used tires and plastics from bottles or bags. Old asphalt shingles can also go through a recycling process and a portion of the recycled material can then be used as a component in manufacturing new shingles.
Environmental Benefits
The main purpose of any recycling process is to keep waste out of landfills and cut down on the use of raw materials that take a lot of energy to manufacture. This reduces the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. Using recycled materials to manufacture shingles meets this environmentally sustainable purpose and is one of the main environmental benefits of using recycled roofing materials.
Lifespan and Durability
Recycled shingles are a durable product with a lifespan of 40 to 50 years, which is about double of traditional asphalt shingles. They require minimal maintenance and can resist extreme weather, harsh conditions, excessive moisture, and intense UV rays.
Aesthetic Options Available
Recycled shingles can also be made to mimic other roofing materials, such as wood shakes, and slate or clay tiles. This allows for flexibility in fitting with an array of home styles and can also be used on older homes to preserve their historic style.
#5: Concrete or Clay Tiles Roofing
Longevity and Durability
Clay and concrete roofing tiles are both extremely durable and long-lasting roofing options. If properly installed and maintained, clay can last up to a century, which makes them inherently sustainable. Clay is more expensive upfront, but will most likely last throughout the duration of your home ownership and beyond. Concrete tiles are less costly than clay and can last between 50-75 years, which makes them also one of the top sustainable roofing materials.
Clay or Concrete Tiles Benefits
Clay and concrete tiles are best suited for hotter climates. They have thermal properties that make them naturally heat resistant and as such work to keep your home cooler during hot weather conditions.
Recycling and Environmental Considerations
Unlike petroleum-based roofing materials, such as asphalt, clay or concrete tiles are non-toxic and are produced through a mineral-based manufacturing process, which makes them more easily recycled. Their thermal properties also make them a more energy efficient roofing option.
Architectural Styles Enhanced by Clay and Concrete Tiles
Clay or concrete tiles can enhance the architectural style of your home and are best suited for Spanish or Mediterranean inspired home designs as well as Mission or French styles.
#6: Slate
Slate roof tiles are an attractive, weather-resistant, and eco-friendly roofing option that offer durability, low maintenance, and high-end aesthetic appeal. Slate is also a natural, non-toxic material that provides high energy efficiency to your home and is one of the most exceptional sustainable roofing materials.
Cost Implications and Lifespan
Slate tiles are one of the best long-lasting roofing options, but they also come with a larger upfront price tag. These larger cost implications need to be weighed against the materials overall lifespan, which if installed and maintained properly, can last well past a hundred years. It is an eco-friendly option that retains value over time and makes for a quality, lifetime investment in your home.
Types of Buildings that Benefit from Slate Roofs
Slate roofs are a premium roofing material that can enhance the beauty of any home. They are especially suited for historic buildings and homes, and high-end residential properties.
Read More: Best Types of Roofing
#7: Rubber Roofing (from Recycled Tires)
Made from recycled tires, rubber roofing is a cost-effective and durable sustainable roofing option that falls into the recyclable roofing materials category and can make a significant environmental impact. By repurposing old tires in the manufacturing process, rubber roofing:
- Keeps old tires out of landfills
- Reduces the use of new raw materials
- Contributes to a more circular economy
- Lowers pollution
Performance and Longevity
Rubber roofing made from recycled tires resists cracking, bending, rotting, and discoloration better than traditional asphalt shingles and has a lifespan of about 30 to 40 years. It is a durable product under extreme weather, especially hail, and temperature changes. It also has insulation properties that can lower energy costs.
Design and Color Options
The design options for recycled rubber roofing may be more limited than other eco-friendly roofing options, but it does not come just in black, as one might think. Other colors, depending on the manufacturer, can include brown, charcoal, green, grey, white, or terracotta.
#8: Cool Roofs (White Roofs)
Definition and Characteristics
Materials for building energy-efficient roofs include cool or white roofs, which are defined by their ability to reflect solar rays, or albedo. Made with opaque white coatings, white polymeric membranes, or other highly reflective roofing materials, cool roofs can reflect up to 80 percent of the sun’s energy.
Energy Efficiency
Cool roof options can be the best roofing for energy efficiency as their reflective properties can make it easier to maintain a comfortable temperature within your home’s interior. These same reflective properties make white or cool roofs one of the best roofs for hot climates.
#9: Corrugated Roofing
Corrugated roofing is a specific type of metal roofing that, for residential purposes, is typically used for out buildings. It is made of wavy-shaped metal panels that are attached to the roof surface with screws. It is a durable, long lasting, light-weight, and low maintenance product. It is also a cost-effective metal roofing option.
Material Options and Sustainability Factors
Corrugated roofing is often made from recycled materials and can be easily recycled at the end of its lifespan, making it a sustainable roofing option. The corrugated design helps the roof shed water efficiently and its reflective surface helps lower energy costs by keeping buildings cooler.
#10: Wood Shingles from Managed Forests
Wood shingles fall into the environmentally friendly materials category when they are sourced from managed forests. The environmental impact of using a renewable product from sustainably managed forests includes carbon sequestration, biodegradability, and a low carbon footprint from the manufacturing process compared to other products.
Fire Resistance and Treatment Options
Wood shingles do need to go through a treatment process to make the naturally combustible wood fire resistant. This process can lower the sustainability of wood shingles and increase their environmental impact.
Home Styles that Compliment Wood Shingles
Wood shingles are an attractive roofing option best suited for classic home designs such as Cape Cod, Colonial, Craftsman, and Farmhouse styles.
#11: Reclaimed Slate or Clay Tiles
The Reclaiming Process
Reclaiming clay or slate tiles is a salvage process that begins with removing tiles from an existing roof, inspecting, cleaning and sorting them, and then reusing them on a new roof.
Environmental Impact
Reclaimed building products are eco-friendly and sustainable. As a roofing option reclaimed slate or clay tiles is no exception. It reduces landfill waste, gives new life to an old product, and requires less energy. All adding up to a reduced carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Benefits and Challenges
The use of a reclaimed roofing material can also support the architectural integrity of a home’s structure and style, but may have limited availability, especially depending on what is available locally. Irregularities can also pose challenges with installation. Reclaimed materials are ideal for historical or luxury homes that require high-end, quality materials.
#12: Synthetic Shake or Slate Shingles
New construction materials are devised all the time. Synthetic shake or slate shingles are a modern roofing material made from recycled materials and synthetic polymers, creating a durable product that looks like natural slate tiles or cedar shake shingles.
As a composite material, these synthetic tiles or shingles are lightweight and less expensive than their real counterparts. They offer design flexibility, home style compatibility, and a high-end look without the same initial cost outlay.
Synthetic Vs. Natural Roofing Materials
Synthetic slate shingles do not weigh as much as real slate, which allows them to be installed on almost any home, while real slate has weight constraints that make it only usable on certain home styles and structures. They can also be cut with a utility knife, making for easier installation.
Environmental Footprint and Recyclability
Synthetic roofing products, when sourced from a reputable manufacturer, have a lower environmental footprint than asphalt shingles as they are more easily recycled, are made in part from recycled materials, and last longer than traditional asphalt shingles.
Sustainable Roofing Materials: Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are several roofing materials for sustainability to choose for your next roofing project. Your budget, style preferences, architectural design, energy efficiency needs, and climate will help determine what product is best for your home.
