Sustainability and Exterior Building Products

A home is the most valuable asset that a homeowner possesses. The type of building materials installed really does matter to its overall performance today and into the future.

Sustainable exterior building products allows homes and buildings to not only perform efficiently, which can lead to annual cost savings, but contributes to a healthier environment. A few examples of this include solar reflectance and the reduction of waste delivered to landfills.

One of the most sustainable exterior building products is manufactured from steel. Steel is the most recyclable material in the world. It can be repurposed indefinitely. More steel is recycled each year than aluminum, paper, glass and plastic combined. Steel is 100% recyclable and made with a minimum of 25% recycled material.

Sustainability is one of the top criteria that home and business owners alike are researching for exterior building products. Today, steel roofing and siding materials are more frequently installed on homes and businesses across the United States than ever before. Not only does steel bring beauty to homes and businesses, it also keeps the environment beautiful.

Steel roofing, when compared to a typical asphalt roof, eliminates the environmental impact of disposal. An asphalt roof contains hundreds of gallons of crude oil and needs to be replaced every 12-20 years, depending on the pitch of the roof. When an asphalt roof reaches its end of life, the asphalt shingles are disposed into landfills. Approximately, 20 billion pounds of asphalt shingles are dumped into U.S. landfills every year. Steel roofing can often be installed directly over most old roofs, resulting in quicker installation time and less material that ends up in the landfill.

Steel siding also benefits from many of the same sustainability characteristics of steel roofing. Sustainable siding is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Steel siding manufactured with the most innovative paint technologies can reduce energy costs. For example, EDCO’s proprietary ENTEX finish reflects a high amount of solar energy, meaning less heat energy is transferred to the interior of the building – saving homeowners money on summer air conditioning.

Remember, environmental efficiency leads to financial efficiency. For your next project, consider the environmental advantages that steel has over other materials.

Source: Metal Roofing Alliance, Steel Recycling Institute