2007 Saw Increased Demand for Energy-Saving Vinyl Roofing
CLEVELAND, Dec. 28, 2007 (VNS) – 2007 was a good year for vinyl roofing, thanks to a robust nonresidential construction market and to increased emphasis on sustainable building, according to Jay Thomas, marketing chair of the Vinyl Roofing Division of the Chemical Fabric and Film Association.
The nation’s nonresidential construction market grew by an estimated 15 percent during the year. Thomas said the emphasis on environmental issues such as saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases drew greater attention to the advantages of single ply vinyl roofing membrane. He noted that long-lasting, durable, white vinyl roofing membrane reflects up to 86 percent of the sun’s energy, reduces electricity consumption within buildings, and reduces the urban heat island effect.
The vinyl roofing industry also completed a successful two-year pilot recycling project and will now start to ramp up recycling as an integral service. “Vinyl is the only roofing material that has been demonstrated to be recyclable at the end of its (first) life back into roofing product,” Thomas said.
He also pointed to other environmental roofing trends that use vinyl membrane as a key component. Solar integrated roofs – with photovoltaic cells laminated to vinyl roofing membrane – “are a growing trend in areas such as California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida, where there are incentives and rebate programs.” This system harnesses solar energy to generate electricity and also reflects unwanted heat away from buildings.
Vinyl roofing membrane is also a crucial though invisible part of the increasingly popular “green” or vegetative roofs that are planted with sedums and other groundcovers and plants. The planted roofs hold rain like a sponge; moisture then dissipates naturally, relieving pressure on often outdated storm sewer systems. “The vinyl membrane under the soil ensures that the planted roof won’t leak,” Thomas noted.