England 08/03/2013
Over the past couple of decades, roofing materials have changed radically mostly as a result of environmental pressures
Roofing materials is not a subject that really interests the man in the street, but it is actually quite an important one, something the construction industry is increasingly realising. The material a roof is made out of has a radical impact on the cost of putting up that building.It also has an impact on how much that building costs to run and how comfortable it is.
Much of the recent change in the roofing industry has been driven by the need to make a building more ecologically sound. Builders are interested in buying materials that have been produced out of materials whose extraction has a low impact on the environment. They are particularly interested in products made out of recycled materials, for example metal. Interest in metal sheet roofs has soared since manufactures have started making these roofing sheets out of re-cycled materials.
However, the real story is the push to reduce emissions whilst the building is in use. In the UK, that usually means using insulated roofing materials, in hotter parts of the world that means solar tiles and sun reflective tiles as well. The colour of the roof, as well as what it is made out of, has evolved. White reflective tiles are growing in popularity because it means less energy is needed to keep the building cool during the summer months.
Insulated roofing materials
There are several ways to insulate a roof, and most of these methods are in use in the majority of countries. In the past, the insulation would always be installed separately either under the tiles or in the roof space itself. Today, the outer roofing materials are likely to have some insulation built in.
All new residential roofs are insulated and there is a growing trend to insulate industrial roofs too. Foregale who have been manufacturing and selling sheet roofing materials for over 25 years and in that time have seen demand for sheet roofing soar. Much of the new demand is coming from constructors looking for insulated sheet roofing materials. The fact it comes in a huge range of materials and finishes makes this roofing solution increasingly popular.