A roof is a large space that just sits there and only protects the home from inclement weather. What if the area the roof covers were to be used for more creative and eco friendly purposes? Well that’s what’s been happening around the world and it looks like something that can change the face of both urban and rural environments.
The primary purpose of the roof is protection. Nothing should be done to compromise this. Creative engineering can improve that protection especially regarding energy efficiency with roofing that either reflects heat and cold or captures sunlight and converts it to energy such as solar energy roofing. Solar energy roofing has improved drastically over the decades. Just one roof can generate enough electricity to the point the excess is sent back to the grid. People an even install such roofing themselves with DIY or Do-It-Yourself kits. There are also professional solar energy installers and they’re not too expensive. The investment pays for itself in a few years and builds equity in the home.
Solar roofing is often seen with big panels aligned across the surface, however there have been breakthroughs that include new photo voltaic cells that are just laid on the roof and convert energy. Other technologies are on the horizon that allude to paints with such technologies that do the same. Either way, solar is going to dominate and provide more than just energy.
To protect against heat, simple reflective paint, white paint at that, can send heat back into space and thus cool the structure. Regular white paint and specialized white paint or silver like reflective paint will do the job. If one considers what would happen if millions of homes adopted this simple application, it would alter the atmosphere itself some theorize and there’s enough science behind it to back it up.
Other approaches actually include turning roofs into gardens. It makes sense if the roof can sustain the weight of the plants, dirt, and water and equipment. Roofs with gardens can protect the structure just as well but might require different maintenance. These kinds of roofs absorb sunlight to get the plants to produce food and grow. Large areas of such roofs could do changes atmospherically to combat climate change as well. People have been using roofs for gardening for thousands of years but today’s technologies make it easier and the savings in food, less travel using fuel and capital raised from sales shows that this approach is a win win for one and all.
This type of creative roofing is the future. Homes have to be as self sufficient as possible. Once such pursuits were frowned upon by the big corporations because the science and numbers showed that if people adopted more creative roofing efficiency, the big energy companies would lose money and political influence. Thanks to the internet and crowdfunding, however, inventors can now get their products to the public without being hampered by big corporations and their underhanded operatives. It’s causing quite the upheaval as homeowners can now enjoy lower costs and greater bounty from their own efforts. Roofing companies have got to jump on the bandwagon before it’s too late. Other entrepreneurs are seizing the day and forming their own roofing modification companies and are quickly becoming the talk of the town. The garden roofing is proving to be a fun and profitable venture for families, communities, and businesses and teaches young people responsibility.
Zoning for garden roofing will be enacted and there’s sure to be some political battles, but as long as safety comes first and the results are profitable, there will be no way to stop it. Hydroponics comes into play here and as long as the roofing is strong enough to take the weight of the fluids used in this form of gardening, things should go smoothly and neatly.
The future of roofing is going to be limited to imagination alone. New materials are on the board and coming soon that will be able to do things no one ever dreamed and keeping on top of the latest roofing processes is every homeowner’s responsibility.
Keep in contact with the professional roofing companies in your area and chat it up when available. They’ll know the materials at hand and perhaps other benefits.
Remember, just because a roof is over your head doesn’t mean you can’t put your feet on a solid investment.
Image credit: Federico Rostagno
