Shingles used to be a popular roofing solution because they offered building owners an inexpensive roofing solution. Today, however, building owners have more options that not only last far longer than shingles but also provide many other advantages. From cost savings to years of aesthetically pleasing curb appeal, metal roofing systems offer building owners advantages shingles can’t compete with.
Metal Roofs Have a Long Service Life and are Aesthetically Pleasing
Perhaps the most crucial advantage of a metal roof is its service life. Recent research indicates that metal roofs can last 60 years or more! When compared with the regular maintenance, upkeep, and replacement shingles require metal roofs are a significantly better value and investment.
And metal roofs look better for longer than shingles. The use of Fluoropolymer (Kynar 500®) coatings keeps the color and vibrancy of a metal roof consistent throughout its service life.
And the wide variety of metal roofing styles and finishes that are on the market today mean that you can find a metal roof to suit almost any taste. With a vast range of colors to choose from and finishes (including styles that mimic traditional roofing materials like slate and shake), metal roofs are an aesthetically pleasing option that increases curb appeal for any building.
Metal Roofs Mean Lower Utility Expenses
Perhaps one of the lesser known advantages of metal roofs is that they can lower utility expenses.
Metal roofing that uses coating systems with reflective pigments is referred to as Cool Metal Roofing. Cool metal roofing offers high reflectivity and high thermal emittance, meaning that less of the suns energy gets absorbed into the roofing system, so it costs less to cool the structure. Studies have shown that a cool metal roof can save a building owner as much as 20% in their cooling energy costs. Conversely, conventional shingles absorb much more of the sun’s energy resulting in higher air conditioning loads.
Above Sheathing Ventilation (ASV) also contributes to lower energy demands because the ventilated airspace between the metal roofing and the substrate allows energy to vent into the atmosphere rather than being absorbed into the building.
Together these two systems (cool roof pigments and ASV) can work together to reduce energy demands and lower utility expenses significantly.
Metal Roofing and Recycling
One of the most significant downsides to shingles is that they are often not recycled. Every year, 11 million tons of shingles are removed and need to be disposed of. The problem with disposing of those shingles is that they are not recycled and many landfills don’t want to accept them. This means that often a fee needs to be paid before a landfill will take the shingles. So not only do those 11 million tons of shingles end up as waste but they are waste someone has to pay to get rid of.
Metal roofing, on the other hand, lasts longer than shingles (so it needs to be disposed of less often) and when it does need to be replaced the old roofing can be recycled. Metal roofing also contains a high percentage of recycled material, which makes it a much more environmentally friendly roofing solution than shingles.
Metal Roofing is Fire, Hail, and High Wind Resistant
We mentioned above that shingles often need repair. Well, that is even more true for buildings in fire, hail, and high wind prone areas. Metal roofing, on the other hand, is far more durable than shingles and is actually fire, hair, and high wind resistant.
While no roof is entirely fire, hail, or windproof metal roofing can withstand high wind speeds, performs best in hail, and is naturally fire resistant.
Learn More
You can learn more about the roofing options available to you, their advantages, and options in our new eBook Tired of Replacing Your Shingle Roof? Metal-Over-Shingle Recover System Offers a Long-Term Solutions with Cost-Saving Benefits. Follow the link below to learn more about the longevity, durability, and environmental advantages of metal roofing over shingles.
About McElroy Metal
Since 1963, McElroy Metal has served the construction industry with quality products and excellent customer service. The employee-owned components manufacturer is headquartered in Bossier City, La., and has 14 manufacturing facilities across the United States. Quality, service and performance have been the cornerstone of McElroy Metal’s business philosophy and have contributed to the success of the company through the years. As a preferred service provider, these values will continue to be at the forefront of McElroy Metal’s model along with a strong focus on the customer.
Topics: Education, Metal Roofing, Commercial
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