(NAPSI)-Here, for a change, is some good news about both global warming and housing in America: Homeowners looking for eco-friendly houses have discovered that metal roofs can protect homes from many extreme weather events while reducing their carbon footprint.
How Homes Take Beating
“Most of the damage to a traditional roof in a hailstorm is caused by water damage to the contents of the house when shingles are fractured,” said roofing expert Tom Black. “Once a roof has a crack, water can stream into the home, damaging the structure and its contents. Water damage can lead to mold and serious repair bills.”
How to Beat the Problem
Metal roofs are naturally very tough and highly resistant to damage. For instance, hail will not penetrate a metal roof. In fact, many metal roofing products have the highest impact resistance and hail rating granted by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading product safety testing and certification organization.
The majority of metal roofing earns a UL2218 Class 4 rating, meaning that a sample of the product did not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a two-inch steel ball.
How To Save Money
As a result of metal roofing’s superior performance in hail, some insurance companies even provide a reduced rate for homes protected by metal roofs.
How to Save the Environment
As an added “green” benefit, most metal roofs contain more than 25 percent recycled materials. At the end of its useful life, metal roofing is also 100 percent recyclable. Traditional roofing products, such as asphalt, contribute 13 billion pounds of waste to U.S. landfills annually. Many metal roofs can be installed over an existing roof, without tear-off and disposal.
How to Learn More
Homeowners can visit The Metal Roofing Alliance web site at metalroofing.com to learn more about metal roofing and to find a metal roofing contractor. The Alliance is a nonprofit organization formed to educate consumers about the benefits of metal roofing. Whatever the weather, your home may be better able to stand up to it if it has a top-quality metal roof.
