From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: How Energy Star Roofing Can Make Your Office Building More Energy Efficient

Although it’s important to keep your office building at a comfortable temperature for both employees and visitors, you probably don’t appreciate the high price tag attached to summer electric bills. If you’re looking to trim the cost of air conditioning your building, consider installing an Energy Star roofing product. These energy-efficient roofing materials may help to improve your office building’s cooling costs.

Absorb Less Heat

Many Energy Star roofing products are made of light-colored material. These absorb less heat from the sun than traditional dark-colored asphalt shingles. The more heat energy that shingles take in, the harder it is to keep the building cool. Using light-colored shingles reduces the internal temperature of the building even before you start running the air conditioner.

Reflect the Sun’s Rays

Energy Star roofing materials are reflective. This is often achieved with special coatings or granules that cause more of the sun’s rays to bounce off of the roof than normal construction materials do. Increased reflectivity helps a roof stay cooler. In fact, an Energy Star roof may be as much as 100 degrees cooler than a roof with standard shingles. Having a cooler roof helps the entire building maintain a lower temperature.

Give Your Air Conditioner a Break

Because a building with Energy Star roofing products doesn’t heat up as quickly as one built with everyday materials, your air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to bring the offices down to your ideal temperature. This reduces wear on the system, and it also lowers the amount of energy that must be spent on cooling. When it’s really hot outside, Energy Star roofing may reduce the cooling demand by as much as 15 percent.

Feature the Ability to Be Recycled

Energy Star TPO roofing membranes, such as those installed by Prime Building & Construction, are fully recyclable. Therefore, you can rest assured that when it is once again time to redo your roof, the old materials can still be put to good use. Recycling previously used materials instead of manufacturing all-new products may require fewer raw materials and less expenditure of energy. Choosing recyclable materials reduces your company’s environmental footprint, and you can feel good about that.

When you’re in the market for a roof renovation, consider installing Energy Star materials. These products can improve your energy consumption and save you money. It’s a choice that’s good for the environment and for your company’s bottom line.