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With all the buzz
concerning global warming and high energy
bills, it is no wonder that manufacturers
are constantly creating new products that
can save consumers money and help protect
the environment. The increasing focus on
such issues has sparked an increase in
energy saving products, many applying to
homeowners who are building or remodeling
their homes.
Today there are numerous
energy efficient products to fit your
lifestyle, and an equally numerous amount of
benefits from lifestyles that are going
green.
Why Go Green?
 Choosing
environmental friendly products can save you
hundreds of dollars a year in energy
costs. Such products can also improve the
comfort in your home, by maintaining a
constantly pleasant temperature throughout
the year. Even better, going green is
probably much easier than you think because
energy efficient products are clearly
labeled. Certain energy efficient products
have a longer life-span than non-energy
efficient products, and can even protect
valuables in your home from sun
damage. Opting to use these products can
also increase your home’s resale value and
reward you with rebates for tax credits.
Don’t forget that besides
saving you money, going green also protects
the environment. The media is flooding us
with statistics about our unhealthy
dependency and use of energy and it is time
to take action. Polluted environments are
dangerous for your health and the health of
people you love. Knowing you are helping,
even if in a small way, will give you some
peace of mind.
Whether you wish to save
money or protect the environment (or both),
going green is one of the best solutions.
Let’s get started!
ENERGY STAR
 ENERGY
STAR is a United States government program
that strives to protect the environment and
to reduce the country’s use of energy.
Specifically it tries to cut energy
consumption and greenhouse gas emission by
power plants. ENERGY STAR was created in
1992 by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency and has been growing ever
since.
ENERGY STAR awards a
product with its label when the product
meets criteria based on its energy
efficiency and overall quality. For example,
a product might have to prove that its use
saves more than 15 percent of energy than
traditional products. Since its creation,
ENERGY STAR has saved consumers hundreds of
billions of dollars on energy costs, and has
labels on products in over 40 categories.
These categories include siding, roofing,
insulation and window materials.
As more people and
businesses use products labeled with ENERGY
STAR, the possible outcomes are great. If
all consumers in the United States chose
ENERGY STAR products, whether private
residents or business owners, the national
energy bill would be reduced by about 200
billion dollars in the next ten years. This
would be a great reduction in pollution and
overall environmental problems.
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How do Energy
Efficient Roofing Products Work?
With Americans spending
more money on energy bills than ever, now is
the perfect time to invest in roofing
products to save you money on heating and
cooling bills. There are several ways in
which roofing products can increase energy
efficiency. Some of these methods include:
-
Lowering the
temperature of your roof in the summer,
decreasing your need for air
conditioning.
-
Keeping cold air out
in the winter, decreasing your need for
heating.
-
Applying coatings to prevent
damage from ultraviolet radiation.
-
Using pigments to
reduce penetration of infrared
radiation.
-
Preventing
temperature fluctuations from shortening
a roof’s life-span.
-
Reflecting sun rays
away from your home.
Types of Energy Efficient Roofs
ENERGY STAR roofing
products are a popular choice for homeowners
who want to decrease their energy bills.
These roofs reflect sun rays away from your
home which helps lower the temperature of
your roof. By reducing your roof’s
temperature, your home will stay cool in the
summer without an excessive need for air
conditioning. This will result in lower
energy bills while keeping your home
comfortable.
Roofs with the ENERGY
STAR label can increase their longevity by
lowering damages caused from fluctuating
roof temperatures which cause a roof to
expand and contract.
 Cool
Roof Coatings also provide a valid
choice for creating an energy efficient
roof. These coatings can be applied to both
low-sloped and steep-sloped roofs. The
coatings have a consistency of thick paint
and are applied over existing roofs to save
energy and extend their longevity. These
coatings also protect a roof against damage
from weather elements and ultraviolet
radiation by reflecting sun rays away from
your home.
Cool roofs have high
thermal emitting properties, which refers to
the relative ease with which the roof
radiates away the absorbed heat. This means
that a cool roof will not only stay cooler
by reflecting the sun’s energy rather than
absorbing it, but it will also quickly
release the heat that it does absorb.
Green Roofs
are an interesting option for
energy efficient roofing ideas and products.
This alternative is like having a
garden on your roof. The vegetation works to
cool the temperature of your roof so that it
is cooler than the air temperature in the
summer. Roofing that is not energy efficient
can be up to 90 degrees hotter than air
temperature. With a cooler roof, your home
will remain cooler, decreasing your air
conditioning needs and lowering your energy
bills.
Green roofs have a bottom
waterproof layer, covered by soil,
vegetation and possible irrigation systems.
Another benefit of the growing vegetation is
to provide your roof with shade and
shielding it from the sun. A steady
temperature keeps a roof from expanding and
contracting, increasing the roof’s
life-span.
Metal Roofs
have been noted for being very
energy efficient and often have an ENERGY
STAR label. Metal roofs reflect solar energy,
which allow the roof surface to remain
cooler. This prevents the heat from transferring into the building, which
means less work for our A/C units and thus
lower energy bills.
Most metal roofing is
composed of recycled materials and is easily
installed over an existing asphalt roof.
This reduces landfill waste in addition to
saving removal and disposal costs. Metal
roofing also lasts much longer than most
non-metal roofing products promoting a
lifetime of environmentally-sound,
maintenance-free durability and beauty.
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Energy Efficient
Roofing Wrap-Up
What you can expect from
energy efficient roofing products:
-
Lowering the
temperature of the roof’s surface by
reflecting sun rays keeps more heat from
entering a home. This can reduce air
conditioning needs up to 15 percent.
-
By maintaining a
steadier temperature than other roofing
products, energy efficient roofing
materials are more durable and have a
longer life-span.
-
Certain coatings can
block your home from harmful ultraviolet
radiation, just like how sun screen
protects you.
-
Using pigments that
reduce infrared radiation keeps your
home cooler in the summer.
-
Green roofs provide
your roof with shade, lowering a roof’s
temperature.
Energy Efficient
Windows
Similar to roofing
materials, windows have the ability to
significantly lower your energy bills in
several ways. Non-energy efficient windows
can cause unwanted drafts, loss of heat and
condensation that can damage window sills.
In contrast, energy efficient windows
maintain a pleasant inside temperature. They
also protect valuable items from sun damage
by the use of Low-E coatings which prevent
fading and discoloration caused by the sun.
Products, such as ones
labeled by ENERGY STAR, allow much less heat
to enter your home than other windows. They
can protect you from the sun while not
blocking visible sunlight.
When looking for energy
efficient windows, pay attention to the
windows “R” rating. This rating refers to
the products resistance to heat loss and
gain during the wrong parts of the year. A
higher “R” rating means that a window has
greater insulation. The higher the rating,
the more the material blocks out ultraviolet
rays.
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The Importance of
Sealing and Insulation
Sealing and insulation
encase the entire exterior of your home.
They are the glue that hold all the pieces
together. Without sealing and insulation
your home wouldn’t necessarily fall apart;
but your energy bills will certainly be very
high. The right sealing and insulation will
also improve the energy efficiency of other
structures such as roofing and windows.
Signs of faulty sealing and/or insulation
include air drafts along with the gain of
heat in the summer and loss of heat in the
winter. Although the subject of sealing and
insulation may not sound overly exciting,
its benefits will more than pay off in the
long run.
Making Sure Your
Home’s Sealing and Insulation Are Energy
Efficient
Improper sealing and
insulation can significantly raise your
energy bills and also make your home
uncomfortable. Make sure that you choose the
right materials and installation for both
aspects of your home.
Sealing
your home should be done before insulation
to provide the best energy efficiency. In
order to have sealing that will regulate
temperature and lower energy bills, you must
make sure to find and seal all the places
where air can leak in or out. Certain parts
of your home can have leaks that are
difficult to find and seal – for this, we
recommend that you hire a good contractor. A
professional contractor is skilled in
finding hidden air leaks and the price for
the service will be paid for when you save
money with lower energy bills. Well-sealed
homes also have less mold and dust, which
leads to better air quality.
Insulation
is what keeps your home’s inside temperature
protected from the outside climate. It keeps
your home warm in the winter and cool in the
summer. There are several products used for
insulation with the ENERGY STAR label which
include fiberglass, rigid foam board and
spray foam. The quality of insulation is
based on an R-value, which is its ability to
resist heat flow. The higher the value, the
better the insulation’s quality.
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Simple Ways to
Make Your Home Energy Efficient (and save
money!)
 There
are tons of choices you can make that can
improve your home's energy efficiency. Here
are just a few:
-
Insulate your water
heater.
-
Use heat generating
appliances, such as washers and dryers,
in the cooler hours of the day or night.
-
Plant trees and
shrubs around your home. They protect
your home from heat in the summer.
-
Check the insulation
in your garage.
-
Be responsible with
your water use; install an efficient
showerhead.
-
Don’t leave an old
refrigerator plugged in as a “back-up.”
-
Turn off anything you
aren’t currently using, including the
television, lights, computer, etc.
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The Reality of Going
Green
Myth:
Building an energy efficient home is too
expensive.
Reality: There are many
affordable ways to make your home energy
efficient. Even though an energy efficient
product or material may be more expensive
upfront, if it saves you money on energy
bills, it will easily pay for itself in the
end.
Myth: An
energy efficient home is solely based on
choosing the right home improvement
materials.
Reality: Being energy
efficient is also based on using your house
appliances efficiently and maintaining their
performance. You control the temperature on
your thermostat or the amount of water you
use, no matter what home improvement
materials you are using.
Myth:
Energy efficient products don’t work as well
as other products.
Reality: Energy efficient
products work just as well, sometimes even
better, than traditional products. Products
with an ENERGY STAR label are evaluated for
both their abilities to save energy and
their overall performance and quality.
Myth:
Energy efficient products are too hard to
find.
Reality: Now more than
ever, these products are widely available
and easy to identify. When in doubt, look
for the ENERGY STAR label when choosing home
improvement products.
Myth:
Energy efficient homes are strange and ugly
looking.
Reality: The numerous
products and lifestyle changes that can help
make your home energy efficient can be
achieved with no consequence to the look of
your home.
Myth:
Going green is an all-or-nothing decision.
Reality: You don’t have to
go buy a windmill or live by solar power to
go green. Slowly integrating energy
efficient products in your home is a good
start, and can be efficient even when mixed
with traditional products. A few small
changes can easily add up, saving you energy
and money.
Going green
can be fun, easy, rewarding and exciting –
all at the same time!
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