The Environmental Benefits

of Cedar Roofs

 

Nowadays, people place more of an emphasis on being environmentally friendly. There are many ways of incorporating sustainability into your life, and the type of roof you choose is no exception.

 

Cedar – Easy on the Eye, and on

Mother Nature

 

Cedar roofs are, surprisingly, one of the most eco-friendly roof types. Although the trees are cut down to provide the wood for cedar roofs, this roofing method presents several short-term and long-term green benefits.

 

Short-term Environmental Advantages

In the short-term, the cedar used in our roofs comes from a natural resource that is harvested in a sustainable manner. The shingles themselves are made in a way that uses minimal quantities of fossil fuels, compared to other types of roofing. For example, asphalt roof shingle production requires a high amount of oil which, when burned, emits high levels of carbon dioxide and other damaging gases.

 

Additionally, a slate roof will typically weigh up to 3 times as much as a cedar shake roof. The transportation of this extra weight will result in higher carbon emissions, which takes its toll on the environment.

 

Long-term Environmental Advantages

 

Over a longer period, the benefits of a cedar shake roof are extensive. For instance, during cold weather a cedar roof will better insulate a home than other types of roofing – requiring less usage of central heating. Likewise, during the summer, a cedar wood roof will cool your house down. Not only does cedar help to lower your energy bills on a monthly basis, it spares the environment of carbon dioxide emissions in the process.

 

Besides energy bills, cedar wood roofs boast a longer lifespan than their asphalt and other roofing counterparts. An asphalt roof will only last, on average, a third of the time of a cedar roof. Furthermore, asphalt roofs do not decompose naturally and take up space in a landfill site, unlike the compost-friendly cedar wood roof.