Getting More Green Out Of A Hom (NAPSA)—Building a “greener” house can help boost a home’s value, help it stand out in even the most crowded of housing markets and cut energy costs. In fact, a recent study from the National Association of Home Builders found that 63 percent of green home owners report lower operating and maintenance costs as the key motivation behind buying a green house. Fortunately, builders and developers are catching on to the benefits of environmentally friendly homes, with 40 to 50 percent of houses built in 2010 expected to be green. But if you’re not planning on building a new home, you canstill join the green revolution. Incorporating a few Earth-friendly prod- ucts into a project—such as roof tiles made from clay and concrete—can makea big difference. The Tile Roofing Institute (TRI) provides this look at five general areas in which tile roofing may earn points toward a home’s overall green rating: Building Products Many green building programs cite the use of durable products as the way to increase a home’s green rating. Concrete and clay roof tiles are extremely durable and tend to require less long-term maintenance when compared to alternate products, such as asphalt, shake or metal roofing. Energy Efficiency Energy efficiency is a staple of green building programs. Con- crete and clay roof tile may contribute to the points for a home’s building envelope, as well as earning credit for a low-energy cooling design with its “cool roofing” attributes. Tile’s thermal mass and sub-tile ventilation can Chill Out—Tile roofing can reduce a home’s heat transference by as muchas 70 percent. reduce a home’s heat transference by up to 40 percent, and in some instances with clay tile by up to 70 percent. Stay Local Green programs often award points for using materials made locally. Many manufacturer mem- bers of the TRI find that much of their product stays within a 500mile radius from whereit is made. Nontoxic Materials Clay and concrete products such as tile roofing can earn points toward a home’s greenrating, as they off-gas virtually no noxious fumes. As a rule, concrete tile is composed of water, sand and portland cement, andclaytile is composed of clay and water— neither of which emits toxic vapors once they’re cured at the manufacturing facility. Building Site Recycling If broken, rooftiles are 100 percent recyclable, as they can simply be crushed and worked back into the production process. Additionally, tiles broken or found to be out of tolerance at the manufacturing facility, as well as the water used to make thetiles, can be recycled and used again to makenewtiles. For more information, visit www.tileroofing.org.
