With Earth Day just a few days away, it’s important to assess our carbon footprint. While simple practices, such as turning off the lights when not in use, can lessen your footprint, there are more impactful ways to reduce your environmental impact. Renovation Team, a top roofing company in the state, lists some of the ways you, as a homeowner, can help the environment.
Reducing Wastage
One of the simplest but most effective ways to minimize your carbon footprint is the reduction of your waste. This could be as simple as doing away with single-use plastic bags in favor of reusable ones. But it could also be as significant as using more durable appliances and materials.
The single-use, throw-away mentality is at the heart of the ballooning waste in landfills. By using utensils, appliances, bags and other items that can last for more than a year, the amount of waste going to landfills every year can be lessened.
Homeowners might not realize it, but roofing waste makes up a sizable portion of landfills. Asphalt shingle waste alone contributes 11 million tons of waste to landfills each year.
Recycling shingles is one way to address this concern, but so is using more durable roofing materials and siding. Roofing products and siding from reputable brands and large manufacturers like James Hardie® and LP® SmartSide® are more likely to outlast their off-brand counterparts.
Energy Efficiency
The energy used by your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system accounts for a sizable portion of the total energy consumption of the average household. But turning the HVAC system off isn’t as easy as flicking the lightbulb switch; HVAC systems need to be kept running to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home.
To lower your HVAC system’s power consumption, you can install energy-efficient roofing and siding. These reduce heat transmission, eliminating the need for the HVAC system to work overtime and consume more energy.
That said, only hire qualified and reputable contractors to install your roof and siding to ensure the material won’t be damaged and end up in the landfill. Besides, no matter how efficient your home components are, when they’re installed improperly, they do more harm than good.
Renovation Team is a contractor with an A rating on Angie’s List and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. To get a free quote, call (314) 200-2228, or fill out this form. We serve homeowners in St. Louis, St. Charles and Creve Coeur, MO.