The new buzzword being bandied about in our trade like low carb menus in fast food emporiums.

"GREEN BUILDINGS" The new "buzzword" being bandied about in our trade like "low carb" menus in fast food emporiums.

Misleading though it may be, "Green" does not refer to the color! Laws of physics being what they are, a "green" roof would be more heat absorbant than a white roof. So, what are they talking about? Supposedly a "green roof or a Green building" signifies an energy efficient roof or building. Simply put, the structure would use some less energy input to achieve a desired temperature, thus "saving" a tiny bit of our environment. Essentially that makes for a good sales story for construction techniques while being a "good guy" to the enviro-nuts who continually attack "us greedy" builders and developers who furnish first class shelter to the essential suppliers of food and services to those same people who constantly "bash us".

The early "green" residences were the masses of mobile home dwellers who migrated to the HOT climes to enjoy more of life. They quickly learned that the concentrated sun rays turned their metal topped "home" into a quite warm oven.

That being the case, they promptly built a shed roof over the top of the trailer roof so that the cavity air flow dissipated the radiant heat before it got to the main roof. BINGO -- the first of the “GREEN" DWELLINGS! A few years ago ROOF HUGGER was exposed to the "double roof" concept as being a standard procedure in Europe in design and construction of new buildings. WHY? Energy costs are 3 times the U.S. average. That is a very sobering number as spread over 40 - 50 years of serviceable life. Their Metal Building standard is to install a light gauge "ceiling panel", then a WebthermTM thermal break ferrule with a "zee" pulin attached to the Webtherm's to create a cavity of 8 to 12" which is then filled with fiberglass to achieve an "R" value of 30 to 45 as the locale dictated.

ROOF HUGGER, INC. quickly saw the opportunity to offer the U.S. and Canada Retro-fit, re-roof market the special Polypropolyne ferrules. Manufactured and patented in England to create an energy efficient building while getting a much needed new roof in any case. The ROOF HUGGER Webtherm system is available and the ferrules in stock at their Tampa, Florida Headquarters.

The fast growing Retro fit roof metal over metal trades have been thus producing "green" roof buildings for a number of years and yet not knowing they were "GREEN". Whether or not the roof-overs made use of the thermally efficient web-therms, the cavity created, insulated or ventilated, effectively dissipated the enormous radiant heat load on the existing ceiling or attic space. Many an owner has commented on the moderating effect of the double roof and were very happy in choosing a retro-fit over a "tear-off" and replacement with it's attendant business interruption, opening bldg. to weather and the interior clean-up mess. A note to Metal Building Contractors, Erectors, Architects and Engineers: When your client needs a new roof, explain the advantages of a double roof as well as the cost savings. He/She deserves to have a "GREEN BUILDING"!

FROM USERS OF ROOF HUGGERS TO CREATE THE"DOUBLE ROOF" GREEN EFFECT. DAVE FOUTS --BUILDER-ERECTOR, DE LAND, FLA. Re-roof 40,000 s.f. mini storage in the Fla. Keys described our product as "awesome" . REACTION CO. island of GUAM, AFTER last Dec. 2003, super Typhoon of 170 MPH winds on his 150,000 s.f. shopping center re-roof. Faxed us, "no damage, your product is amazing" . SALADIN ROOFING, ISLAND OF CURACAO in the Caribbean, "the double roof portion of the bldg. re-roof measures 15 degrees cooler than the single roof portion" ! CHANNEL 22 TV PRODUCTION STUDIO ,ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. "insulated double roof has cut A/C run time from constant to 60 percent and the external decibal noise rate to interior reduced by 60 percent" ! THE ABOVE IS A TINY SAMPLE OF OUR MANY "HAPPY CAMPERS" WITH "GREEN", DOUBLE ROOFS.
By D.V. "RED MC-1"