KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Builders, remodelers and homeowners eager to
maximize natural resources are hoping for rainy weather. The
environmentally-friendly efforts of these concerned people rely on
harvesting rainwater as a major initiative toward reducing water and energy
costs by homeowners. What is the most popular collection point for
rainwater? The roof.
In Narragansett, Rhode Island, the Hageman family had a goal of
reducing landscaping irrigation demand by at least 50 percent when
constructing their Green Life Smart Life home in 2009. To reach their goal,
they had a 5,000-gallon cistern installed to harvest rainwater from the
home's roof for exterior landscaping use.
"One of the key reasons we selected our DaVinci EcoBlendT
synthetic slate roof was because the tiles do not release toxins which could
potentially run off into the water system," says homeowner Kimberly Hageman.
"The rainwater collected from the roof over our 4,500-square foot home
travels to an interconnected gutter system that directs all the water to our
5,000-gallon underground storage tank. We use the water as needed to support
our landscaping efforts."
The Hageman's LEED-H GOLD certified home (the first in Rhode
Island) showcases green building practices, smart energy consumption,
reusable resources and an eco-friendly DaVinci synthetic roof.
Saving Pure Rainwater
Saving rainwater is not a new idea. However, the concern for the
purity of the water saved has escalated in recent years.
"If buckets or rain barrels are strategically placed to capture rainwater
coming off a roof, many types of shingles may carry with it granules and
trace chemicals," says Ray Rosewall, president and CEO of DaVinci
RoofscapesR. "That's not an ideal water collection system. While water
conservation is a commendable activity, homeowners need to make certain
they're collecting pure rainwater that does not contain toxins that leach
from the roof surface."
Synthetic roofing tiles from DaVinci, which have inorganic
pigments permanently bound into the polymer tiles, have successfully passed
Proposition 65 testing. This California test (The Safe Drinking Water and
Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) certifies that products do not release or
discharge toxins into water.
Rosewall notes that, with increased building emphasis on green
building practices, synthetic roofing tiles also play a positive role in
energy efficiency for the home. "The DaVinci EcoBlend roofing tiles have
been rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) to reflect sunlight and
heat away from the home," says Rosewall. "These award-winning roofing tiles
help make a home more environmentally friendly on both sunny and rainy
days!"
Meeting the initial qualifications for a Cool Roof indicates that DaVinci
EcoBlend products meet or exceed initial ENERGY STAR program requirements
for 25 percent solar reflectivity and qualify for LEED-NC 7.2 Heat Island
Effect. Final ENERGY STAR approval will be awarded to DaVinci EcoBlends
after a mandatory three-year weathering/testing period.
A Cool Roof is measured by two properties, solar reflectance and
thermal emittance. Both properties are measured from 0 to 1. The higher the
value, the cooler the roof. During independent testing, DaVinci EcoBlends
measured in a range of 0.26 to 0.34 for solar reflectance and in the range
of 0.67 to 0.72 for thermal emittance.
DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic
slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually
maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product.
DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the
greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a
50-year warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its
products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home
Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council.
For additional information
Call 1-800-328-4624
Or visit
www.davinciroofscapes.com.
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