Energy Savings Go Through The Roof

Believe it or not, the roof on our heads can help us save money. Creating an energy efficient roof system is a great approach in saving money, mostly from our electric bills. Through proper design, the use of the right materials, and through correct installation and maintenance, our roof system can be an energy saving tool that would not only help our pockets but the environment as well.

According to the National Roofing Contractors Association or NCRA, as houses or buildings grow older they become less energy-efficient. And we already need an upgrade. Our roof system has been practically the same in the past 30 to 40 years. Plus, with the ever increasing costs of heating and gasoline, people are looking for ways to better save energy. Also, people are becoming environmentally conscious as well.

Today, more and more companies are providing roofing technologies that address the issues of saving energy. From the production of active thermal mass components, reflective pigments and coatings, to the manufacture of roof systems that incorporates subventing, radiant barriers and other novel techniques, scientists are closely studying how we can make things a lot better.

When we look at saving energy using our roof systems, we are actually looking at the elements of efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. An efficient building needs less heat generating or dissipating power.

One roof system prototype, which is already nearing its production stage, is said to be capable of reducing attic temperatures by about 22 degrees Fahrenheit during a typical summer afternoon. By decreasing the heat transferred from the outside to the living space inside, we save electricity from using our airconditioning systems. Likewise, by better trapping the heat inside the building, we save energy from our heaters during the colder months.

This new roof system technology employs the use of inorganic phase change material that is placed between two reflective surfaces made of aluminum foil. By installing the material as a dynamic thermal barrier between the roof and attic area, air channels are created between roof rafters making it possible to minimize the transference of heat from the outside.

Aside from prototype roof systems, there are already a number of building designers that have incorporated their environmental concerns on their design. Buildings have been constructed using combinations of sun shading technologies and materials, selective glazing techniques, various kinds of ventilation systems, unique structural designs, and environmental ideas.

This method of designing has been dubbed as Green Architecture due to the emphasis on ecological design and its overall impact on the environment.

Green Architecture employs economical, energy-saving, environmentally-friendly, and sustainable development techniques in designing a home or building. The focus is on energy efficiency and green architecture's aim is to maintain this focus for as long as the a building stands.