Bronx Green Roofing contractor
Whether it’s for a residential or industrial building, green roofing is a great way to improve the energy efficiency of a building in New York and to contribute to an all-around healthier city. Our professionals Bronx roofing contractors can help you implement green roofing for your building, and we can maintain it as necessary.
What is Green Roofing?
Green roofs—which are also often referred to as living roofs or planted roofs—are systems of living plants and vegetation installed on the roofs residential, commercial, or industrial buildings of any kind. While modern green roofs (which are made of a system of manufactured layers deliberately placed over roofs to encourage the growth of vegetation) are relatively new. However, they have been around across the world in different forms for centuries.
Green roofs help to:
provide better insulation
create wildlife habitats in urban areas
increase the aesthetic appeal of urban areas
and lower urban temperatures
Many European countries have several initiatives to promote the prevalence of green roofs, and, in fact, they have been federal law since the late 1990’s in Switzerland.
The largest green in New York City belongs to the United States Postal Services’ Morgan Processing and Distribution center. It’s covered in native vegetation, and it has as expected lifetime of around fifty years. To give you an idea of the benefits of green roofing, this roof is expected to save the USPS $30,000 every year on heating and cooling costs, and it will also significantly reduce the amount of storm water contaminants entering the municipal water system. If this is something you are interested in, contact our professional Bronx green roofing contractors today.
Environmental Benefits of Green Roofs
Green roofs are great way to benefit the environment.
Urban waterways are often polluted when rainwater run-off passes over roofs, sidewalks, and roadways that lead directly into local waterways. Green roofs can absorb as much as 90% of rainwater that falls onto them, where it is filtered of pollutants and heavy metals before it continues to streams and rivers.
They’ll help create natural habitats for animals, plants, and insects that otherwise have limited space in cities.
They increase agricultural space.
They help to combat the urban heat island effect (a major issue in New York). Traditional roofing materials soak up the sun’s radiation and re-emit it as heat, which makes cities at least 7°F hotter than less urban areas.
Cost Benefits of Green Roofs
The initial cost of green roofs can be expensive, but even with that in mind, there are a number of great financial benefits to adding a green roof to your New York building:
Green roofing can extend the lifespan of a roof by up to 200%.
Green roofing acts as natural waterproofing that also shields the roof from UV radiation as well as other physical damage.
Green roofs will increase the real estate value of a property.
Green roofs can significantly reduce your energy consumption and energy costs.
There is a one-year property tax credit available in New York City for property owners who “green” at least 50% of their roof area.