Many businesses today are looking for ways to increase their public image and credibility by showing an interest in protecting the environment. If this description fits your business, you may be wondering how you can counteract the significant energy drain that a traditionally black roof presents during the warmer months. Here are three types of roofing that can be great for eco-friendly businesses during the summer and can work for either commercial buildings or residential buildings.

1. Metal roofing

Though the natural ability to shed snow makes metal roofing a great choice for homeowners who don't want to get up on the roof every so often to scrape (perhaps because it's a vacation home that's only used in the summer), it's just as great as far as summer performance goes. It's reflective, meaning that it will repel most of the sun's light rays back into the atmosphere instead of allowing them to infiltrate your roof and collect inside your building, which in turn means you can save a lot on air conditioning bills.  

 2. Different types of recycled shingles

Using recycled materials for your roof adds another layer of eco-friendliness, and if you make sure to always recycle the old materials that are removed from your roof, you can bring your roof that much closer to zero waste. There are plenty of recycled options to choose from, too. For example, you can get rubber shingles that look like asphalt shingles, or you can get the kind that look more like wood shake roof or even the kind that look like natural slate tiles.

3. Tile or slate

Most commercial buildings aren't likely to have the type of budget required to invest in a tile or slate roof. However, if it suits the personality of your business, this might be worth looking into. For example, clay tile roofing can offer a quaint, old-fashioned, desert-style look. Or if you're not worried about the aesthetics so much as you're just wanting to find the most eco-friendly option, you could go for concrete tiles.

Concrete tiles are more affordable, since they only cost about half what clay tiles cost, but it comes with a life expectancy tradeoff as they only last about half a century vs. clay tiles' potential century-long lifespan. Both types of tiles offer a unique smog-neutralizing coating capability, which can be a great way to give back to the environment, and both are recyclable as well.

For more information, contact a business Welty Custom Exteriors, Inc.