On sunny days, and particularly in the summertime, this significantly reduces indoor cooling levels and costs, and helps mitigate the urban heat island effect of heat buildup in urban environments.Īccording to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, on a typical summer afternoon, a cool roof that reflects 80 percent of sunlight will stay approximately 55☏ cooler than a traditional roof reflecting just 20 percent.
Panels with special coatings make metal roofs highly reflective and capable of preventing a certain level of solar heat gain from penetrating the building. This enables projects to more easily achieve a tight building enclosure which is key to energy efficiency and performance.Īnother sustainability benefit of metal is that they can help a building be more energy efficient. IMPs also offer the benefit of incorporating an air and water barrier within the system itself. With today’s energy codes requiring building envelopes to be greater than R-40, IMPs enable facility executives to achieve these thermal requirements with thinner walls, thereby saving on construction costs and freeing up valuable real estate. As compared to other types of insulation like mineral fiber, cellular glass, and expanded polystyrene, which offer an average insulating R-value of between R-3 and R-4 per inch, IMPs provide R-7 per inch or greater. Insulated metal panels (IMP), which are two metal panels sandwiched by an insulating foam core, offer even higher thermal levels. This, in turn, significantly saves on heating and cooling energy consumption and cost.
This thermal insulation enables air conditioned buildings to stay cooler in the summer and heated buildings to stay warming in the winter by keeping thermal levels inside the building. Metal building panels are also a highly insulating material capable of incorporating fiberglass or rigid board insulation of various thickness.
Moore Associates, the environmental impact of metal buildings was found to be lower in case studies comparing structural and envelope materials to load-bearing concrete, masonry, tilt-up, and steel-framed construction within the same basic building footprint. In a whole building life-cycle assessment study by Houston-based Walter P. When recycled steel is used to produce new steel, less energy and water is required. While other roofing materials occupy between 7 percent and 10 percent of the landfills, one would be hard pressed to actually find steel scraps in a landfill. Not only is steel 100 percent recyclable, but according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, nearly 85 percent of steel is actually recycled, making it the most recycled construction material in the world. Sustainable BuildingsĪs a long lasting, recyclable, low maintenance material, metal has earned a place as one of the best cradle-to-gate building materials. Combined with the fact that metal is resistant to mold, corrosion, and pest infiltration, this will lower a facility executive’s insurance premiums. For added resistance, metal systems can be coated or sprayed with fire-resistive materials. As a result, many metal roofs are rated to perform up to 150 miles per hour, which is the equivalent of a major Category 4 hurricane and an F2 tornado.Īs a non-combustible material, metal will better withstand exposure to fire. If high winds do manage to start rattling around in between the metal covering and underlayment, metal’s ability to breathe and expand enables the roofing system to endure a certain level of air pressure. “Metal roofing is in high demand in hurricane-prone regions due to its exceptionally long-lasting durability and protection against heavy rain, hailstones, and hurricane force winds,” according to the Metal Roofing Alliance.īecause metal roofing systems are designed with larger interlocking panels and fewer seams, as compared to other roofing systems, there are less areas for the wind to penetrate. Because approved systems perform so well, they are highly recommended in areas susceptible to inclement weather.Ī metal roof must also pass the UL 1897 test, which is used to evaluate the attachment of the roof covering systems to the roof decks by simulating negative pressures, and FM 4471 tests product performance for combustibility, wind uplift resistance, hail damage resistance, and foot traffic resistance. Metal roofing systems are required to pass one of the most rigorous tests in the industry, E-1592, which injects a high level or air pressure between the panels. Not only are metal building’s long lasting, but they are extremely durable and resilient, often carrying warranties of 40 years or more.
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