Environment

Roofing Contractors Share Top Eco-Friendly Roofing Tips

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There are a lot of home improvement tips to be aware of if you want to keep your home eco-friendly. One hack is to make sure your roof is well taken care of.

Your roof is arguably the most important part of your house. It provides insulation, temperature regulation, and protection from the elements. Unfortunately, most people take their roof for granted, secure in the knowledge that it will always be there for them.

You need to consider the implications that your roof has on the environment. If your roof is not well designed, you are going to use excessive energy. This is going to mean that you are going to be putting a strain on the environment and contributing to the climate change crisis.

If is important to make sure that you follow eco-friendly roofing tips to minimize these problems. Mother Earth News shared some insights on their blog. Fortunately, we talked to some roofing contractors in Toronto that shared some ways to take care of your roof in a way that helps the environment.

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Roofing Ideas to Save the Environment

If you take good care of your roof, you can save a lot of energy over the course of the year. Here are some tips that professional roofing contractors have shared with us to both extend the lifespan of the roof and save energy costs. You can perform many of them yourself, but you can also hire professionals like Jackson Contracting Site to do them for you. That way, you never have to worry about having a roof over your head.

Why is it important to follow these tips to help the environment? There are two reasons:

  • They threaten the energy efficiency of the house, which means that you will use more energy that pollutes the environment and raises CO2 levels.
  • You may need to replace the roof more quickly, which uses a lot of scare resources and hurts the environment when they need to be extracted.

These tips will help keep the environment safe.

Use Eco-friendly Roofing Materials

A lot of roofing materials are great for the environment. Others are not so great. Smart City Dive talked about eight roofing materials that are good for the environment.

You should read that post for more insights. The biggest takeaway is the benefit of using a white roof that reflects most of the sunlight. This reduces unnecessary cooling costs in the summer.

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Perform an Inspection of the Roof After Each Season

Every season brings new challenges that threaten the integrity of your roof. Some of them can be severe enough to cause serious damage. Even if the weather is not especially harsh, you should check the shingles of the roof to see what kind of wear and tear they have sustained. The UV rays of the sun can cause damage during the hot and humid months.

The sun wreaks havoc on the weatherproofing chemicals in the roof, which can cause them to dry out. Also, the roof tiles expand in the heat and contract when it gets colder at night. This movement causes the tiles to get loose over time. During the colder months the roof gets bombarded by snow and hail. When the ice and snow melts, it can cause leaks in the roof and damage anything attached to the roof, like the flashing or the gutters.

Keep The Area Around The Roof Clear

Trees with overhanging branches are some of the biggest hazards to a roof, so you should minimize the chance of them causing any damage to your roof as much as possible. Any overhanging tree limbs should be removed, so that they don’t fall on the roof in the event of severe weather.

The same goes for any tree branches that brush or scrape against the roof; the repetition could wear down the shingles and even scrape them off. There is no reason to remove the entire tree, just any part of it that could possibly cause any damage.

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Make Sure That The Gutters Are Cleaned Regularly

Cleaning gutters is the job that no one wants to do but is absolutely necessary. Cleaning the gutters to prevent leaves and debris from building up ensures that they keep working properly. A clogged gutter can overflow during the rain, rendering its function of directing water away from the roof and foundation of the house completely useless.

Even worse, during the winter months, water that has collected in the gutters can freeze and weigh down the gutters, potentially causing them to get ripped from the roof. That could cause damage to the roof that would need to be repaired. So, roll up these sleeves and clean the gutters once per season. Or just call a roofing specialist to do it for you.

Treat Your Roof for Moss, Lichen, and Algae

Yes, the sun can damage your roof, but without it, moss, lichen, and algae can grow unchecked. If that happens, they can cause serious damage to your roof, as well as give it an unsightly, unappealing appearance.

If you have experienced a lot of rain and humidity and very little sunshine, or if there is a part of your roof that is perpetually in the shade, then you should get your roof inspected and, if necessary, cleaned by a professional. That professional can then apply treatments containing zinc and copper that can prevent the growth of these plants from recurring.

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Use These Tips To Keep Your Roof Healthy

By utilizing these tips, you can ensure that your roof has a long life ahead of it. Not only will these tips enhance the longevity of the roof, but they will also save money in the long run since they lower the likelihood of your roof receiving any significant damage.

Any serious damage incurred by the roof could be expensive to repair, and in the worst-case scenario, could lead to a complete roof replacement. So, treat your roof with care and it will return the favor to you.

Your Roof is an Important Structure in the Fight Against Climate Change

You will be surprised by how much energy your home loses through your roof. You need to make sure that it is well maintained to conserve energy and save the environment. This is one of the things that you need to do to do your part to fight climate change!

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