In previous blogs, we’ve shared some examples of great green roofs, but do you have to go fully green and build a rooftop garden to be considered a sustainable roof? At Roo Roofing, we’ve seen this as a concern for new homeowners looking for roof restoration Brisbane, so in this post, we take a closer look at sustainable roofs and roofing Brisbane. There are a multitude of definitions and parts that make up a sustainable roof, how can you help make your roof choices more ‘sustainable’?

Energy Efficient & Energy Producing

A sustainable roof is defined by a number of conflicting ideas. They need to be “warm” yet “cool” at the same time. They also need to not only “save energy” (aka be energy efficient) but also produce “clean energy” too. Thus many also utilise roof-mounted solar tubes that supply over half of the building’s lighting requirements and/or roof-mounted solar panels for supplemental building power. Vents and Skylights also help, for daylighting deep within buildings without having to use electricity.

Water

A sustainable roof also utilises the water, that falls on them, in a renewable way. Water for many cities rely on antiquated combined sewer systems, industry and government alike have seen the capture of rooftop stormwater could play a significant role in reducing the amount of pollution that goes into our waterways. The use of rooftop water for landscaping and other building-related needs could also reduce the overall demand on municipal water sources. New water-retaining roof technologies might require knowledge of climate modeling and landscape design, and examining energy efficiency in light of new high-efficiency materials might require new knowledge of heat, air, and moisture modeling.

Air and climate

In addition to saving energy during summer (aka air-conditioning season) making your roof cool creates more cool surfaces which helps mitigate heat-island effects in urban areas, reducing air pollution and global warming. Sustainable roofs should have high-efficiency roof insulation to minimise building heating and cooling requirements.

Materials

The materials of a roofing system can have a great impact on its sustainability. If the material is a poor insulator, that will impact the energy efficiency of the building. If the material has a short lifespan or erodes quickly, it will impact the lifespan of the roof and put more material in the landfills faster. Furthermore, service of life needs to be considered. Developing new standards of roof system durability and roof asset management may significantly increase a building’s service life. Fewer replacements are better from a material, energy, and waste perspective.

Preventative Maintenance

Preventive maintenance will greatly extend your roof’s service life and thermal performance. If you’re looking for roofers Brisbane, you can avoid temporary patches and focus on repairs that address vulnerabilities and defects by taking preventative maintenance measures. A truly sustainable roof has the best possible performance for the longest period of time. The best way to ensure this is to keep your roof in top condition and good shape is with routine inspections and repairs. But if you defer maintenance, your roof’s life could decrease significantly.

Contact us today to help design your sustainable roof or engage one of our roof restoration or roof replacement services.