Roof must give your house the most possible protection from all weather conditions. Modern roof is more than just a shelter; it is environmental friendly and energy efficient roof. It is important to do anything we can to protect the nature. Choosing so called green roof you can help preserve the nature.

When possible, choose recycled shingles. Classic asphalt shingles are not being recycled after use; on a contrary, they are dumped into landfills. They also contain toxic organic chemicals. When the sun heats up the shingles, the roof releases these chemicals into air. You can use recycled shingles instead. They are made of recycled material, usually industrial waste. Their life span is up to 50 years; that means you won’t have to replace them so often which saves your money.

Another type of energy efficient roof is metal roofing. Metal roofs reflect the sunlight and lower the temperature inside the house during the summer. You do not have to use air conditioners so much. That, on one hand, lowers the emission of the gases and on the other hand reduces your energy costs up to 20%.

For additional energy efficiency you can use reflective coatings. Reflective coatings divert 80% of absorbed sun energy while uncoated roofs absorb 80% of the sunlight and transfer it to your house.

Clay tiles and slate are natural energy efficient roofing materials. Clay is natural regulator of the temperature. Both clay and slate tiles can be reclaimed and recycled which makes them environmental friendly.

Due to technological progress new materials are found every day. One of the most interesting new materials is so called smart roof coating. It is made of waste cooking oil. Oil is processed into liquid polymer which hardens into plastic. Unlike the cooking oil, this smart coat does not smell. When applied on the roof surface, this intelligent material changes its characteristics depending on the temperature. When the temperature gets really high, this coat decreases the temperature inside the house and makes it cool and comfortable. During the cold weather smart coat helps to preserve the heat inside the house. Either way, it saves energy and reduces your electricity bills. Smart roof coat is nontoxic and noncombustible.

There are another two types of energy efficient roofs – green roofs and solar roofs. Both of them are made of vinyl membrane roofing. Green roofs (or live roofs) have a layer of soil which is planted with different types of vegetation. Solar roofs use solar panels which produce electricity from solar energy.

With so many modern roofing materials, it is possible to have high quality and energy efficient roof.