At the end of 2009, President Barack Obama urged Congress to
provide funding to building owners and homeowners to improve energy
efficiency in buildings by replacing doors and roof systems and
adding more insulation. He likened the current lack of energy
efficiency in most homes and buildings to watching "$20 bills float
though the window and into the atmosphere." And he went so far as
to say the idea "may not be very glamorous," but he finds
insulation "sexy."
As the president so eloquently stated, insulation is one of the
most important components in a building when it comes to reducing
energy costs and decreasing carbon footprint. Much of the existing
building stock still has 30 or more years of service life and could
be vastly improved during the long term if owners consider
reroofing with high R-value roof systems.
A high R-value roof system can save a building owner money,
increase a building's energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. And in the retrofit roofing market, high R-value roof
systems present a 50 billion-square-foot opportunity for roofing
contractors.
A high R-value roof system provides a level of thermal
resistance, or R-value, higher than current minimum levels required
by building code standards and practices. The most effective way to
achieve this performance level is by using more insulation
than...
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