A DECRA Metal Roofing system presents architects and builders with an opportunity to use the products’ sustainable attributes in a LEED Certification project.
LEED Program and DECRA Metal Roofing
Download the DECRA Metal Roofing LEED flyer here.
The term ‘Green Building’ continues to resonate with building owners and designers. It describes a variety of building and roofing practices that are growing in popularity. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a worldwide program that encourages green building by providing a structured strategy for overall building efficiency. All buildings – even residential homes – can earn LEED points and gain LEED certifications. In the LEED program, a building project is awarded points in compliance categories with established sustainability standards.
The advantage: Green buildings save money.
• Reduced electricity needed to heat and cool
• Less water required to build them
• Fewer released greenhouse emissions
• High recycle content in many of the building materials used
Both the building owner and the environment win. It’s also a win for architects, designers, and builders. Energy efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and reduced environmental impact of any building continue to grow in popularity. Building familiarity with green building practices and LEED certification offers solutions to satisfy green building goals.
A building’s roof significantly impacts all of these green ideals. DECRA provides sustainable roofing systems that support LEED certification.
LEED Certification
The LEED Certification program was launched by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to encourage the redesign and construction of green buildings. The LEED program provides third-party verification that a building project has reached one of four LEED certification levels by meeting a given number of point-based credits within the rating system. Points are awarded to a building project being constructed with environmentally friendly actions taken during construction, building use, and even renovation.
Here are the LEED certification levels:
• Certified: 40 to 49 points
• Silver: 50 to 59 points
• Gold: 60 to 79 points
• Platinum: 80 to 110 points
LEED has evolved significantly since it began in 1998. The latest LEED version is known as LEED version 4, which focuses on different building types and renovation types. The LEED Building Design and Construction (BD+C) reference guide focuses on eight building types, one of which includes new construction.
DECRA Metal Roofing LEED Certification Benefits
DECRA Metal Roofing reduces negative environmental effects. Metal is recyclable; at the end of its lifetime, all DECRA roof panels and accessories can be recycled. Further, DECRA metal roof materials are made with recycled steel content – up to 30% – making it an environmentally friendly option. DECRA metal roofs also can provide positive solar reflectivity and emissivity attributes that reduce energy costs to cool the building. In particular, a DECRA metal roof with a cool roof surface can further enhance the reflectance of solar heat energy back into the atmosphere. Buildings with cool roofs help reduce the impact of urban heat islands – where
roofs heat up in close proximity, causing air temperatures to rise in the immediate surrounding area.
DECRA metal roofs are durable, providing excellent building protection lasting 60 years or more. This reduces maintenance costs, while also making the building attractive to potential buyers who know they will not have to replace the roof.
Please download the DECRA Metal Roofing LEED flyer here for a brief summary of potential metal building project LEED points in the LEED v.4 BD+C rating system; new construction only.
Summary
A DECRA metal roofing system ultimately presents architects and builders with an opportunity to use the products’ sustainable attributes in a LEED Certification project. When accumulated with other LEED rating points for various sustainable features, a DECRA metal roof can be a straight-forward and cost-effective way to meet program requirements – especially when extrapolated over the potential long project life-cycle.