Vegetative Roofing is the original “green” roof.  Traditional rooftop garden spaces require the infrastructure underneath to carry the weight of the roof and provide appropriate irrigation and drainage for long-term care.  A more cost effective methoduses trays of plants grown off-site and then installed on the roof.  The tray method is supposed to be more self-maintaining than its traditonal cousin. However, to florish, it too, requires regular maintance, which is another service Central Roofing Company offers to clients.

Many municipalities provide tax benefits for builders that construct or retrofit their buildings with vegetative roofs.

Cool roof surfaces, also known as “white” roofs, get their name from the color of the material used on the rooftop.  Cool roofs can remain at markedly lower temperatures when exposed to solar heat compared to roofs constructed with traditional non-reflective roofing products, which is a benefit in our extreme seasonal climate swings in Minnesota.  This roof system helps reduce the “heat island” effect in urban areas, where the concentration of concrete and other heat-absorbing materials can increase the temperature by several degrees thus reducing cooling costs and reducing heat impacts to exterior mechanical systems.

Roof-mounted solar panels are an addition to any traditional roofing system and can be installed across the whole of a roof or just a section.  In Minnesota, panels are mounted with solar cells which produce electricity to be used directly by the building or, if the solar field is large enough, can be sold back to a power company.  Solar panels are a significant investment and as in most environmental systems, regular maintenance by Central Roofing Company is recommended to keep the panels clean and operational year-round.

Like vegetative roofs, some municipalities offer tax incentives for installation of solar panels on private buildings.

Suitably named to describe what it offers, daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings on reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting. Most often, daylights are installed on a single ply TPO roof system or cool roof.  Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a building because the aim is to maximize the visual comfort of occupants or to reduce energy use so placement is key to functionality.

Regular roof maintenance by Central Roofing Company is recommended to keep daylights free from debris in spring, summer and fall, and clear of snow in the winter.