Energy $avings

• Keep air conditioning thermostats at 78 degrees or higher during summer months.
• Use ceiling fans, which allows for setting the thermostat at a higher temperature.
• Use nonessential appliances such as clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers during off-peak hours (before noon or after 6:00 p.m.) Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
• Close drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot periods.
• Avoid using evaporative coolers or humidifiers at the same time an air conditioner is running.
• Run swimming pool equipment for the minimum amount of time, and during off-peak hours.
• Limit the opening of refrigerators.
• Reduce hot, outdoor air from entering the house and eliminate the loss of cooled air with weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors.
• Clean or replace the air conditioner filter regularly to help it run more effectively.
• Check and clean refrigerator coils regularly, especially during the summer. Dirty coils on the back or bottom of the refrigerator can make it work harder than necessary. See appliance owner's manual for maintenance instructions.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, which can last up to 10 times longer than old-fashioned bulbs, and produce less heat while using only a quarter of the electricity.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room.
• Use task lighting to directly illuminate work areas.
• Install time clocks or photoelectric cells to control exterior lighting, advertising sign lighting and some interior lighting.
• Install dimmer or occupancy switches where appropriate to lower energy use such as in stairwells, copy rooms, restrooms.
• Insulate the hot water piping from the water heater to the wall or ceiling pipe penetration. Wrap the tank in an insulating blanket if the water heater's energy factor is less than 0.59.
• Reduce use of all non-essential electric appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes dryers, especially during the late afternoon and early evening. Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher's drying cycle.
• Cook outdoors or use a microwave oven and small appliances like a toaster oven and electric skillet to avoid heating up the kitchen and adding moisture to the air. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time.
• Plug home electronics, such as computers, TVs and VCRs, into power strips and turn power strips off when equipment is not in use.
• Lower the thermostat on the hot water heater; 115° is comfortable for most uses.
• Leaking electricity from electronics costs Americans millions annually. (About $750 million a year for TVs and about $600 million a year for VCRs.) To avoid the leaking of electricity, either unplug electronics when not in use, or plug into a power strip that can be switched off.
• Use as little liquid as possible when cooking - surplus water requires more heating and therefore more gas is used than is necessary.
• When cooking, match the burner to the vessel. Use a small vessel on a small burner. A large burner consumes 15 percent more gas.
• Turn off PCs, monitors, printers, and copiers nightly and on weekends. If unable to switch off the entire computer, turn off the monitor and printer.
• Turn computers, copiers and other office equipment to low-power standby mode when not in use.
• Use laptop computers and ink jet printers, if available, since they use 90% less energy than desktop and laser printers.
• Implement paper-reducing strategies, such as double-sided printing, re-using paper, and using e-mail instead of sending memos or faxing documents not only save energy, but to conserve other resources.
• Connect PCs, monitors, fax machines and computer "peripherals" to one power strip, and then turn off that power strip when not in use and every night.
• Avoid rapid acceleration to reduce fuel consumption.
• Avoid hard braking and sudden stops. Stay alert and anticipate traffic lights, stop signs and merges. Use turn signals. Traffic will move more smoothly, which saves fuel for everyone.
• When starting out, shift up to the next gear (manual transmission) as soon as possible without straining the engine.
• Drive more slowly. One study reported that for all vehicles tested there was at least a 20% loss in fuel economy as cruising speed was increased from 55 to 75 mph. So, 20 miles per gallon (mpg) at 55 mph becomes 16 mpg or less at 75 mph.
• Remove extra weight from the car; 100 extra pounds may cost 1 mpg.
• Avoid using roof racks and remove when not in use.
• Use cruise control on highway trips.
• For any stop lasting more than a minute, shut off the engine rather than letting it idle.
• Avoid warming the engine up before driving; it is not necessary, even in cold weather.
• Do not rev engine before shutting it off; this wastes fuel and can dilute motor oil, leading to excessive wear on engine parts.
• Reduce the use of the air conditioner at low driving speeds. When driving over 40 mph using the air conditioner costs less fuel than having windows open.
• Park in the shade and/or leave windows slightly open to reduce the need for air conditioning.
• Check tires; an under-inflated tire can decrease fuel economy by 2%.
• Refrain from topping off the tank at the gas pumps.
• Replace air and fuel filters regularly as instructed by the vehicle maintenance manual; change air filter more often if driving in dusty conditions.
• Keep engine properly tuned.
• Use API certified "Energy Conserving" motor oil, either conventional or synthetic. Use the service classification and viscosity specified for the vehicle.
• Avoid buying "aggressive" tread tires.
• Determine gasoline mileage periodically. Declining mileage can be an early indicator of mechanical problems or a need for servicing.
• Carpool if possible for traveling to work or for errands.
• Combine errands to reduce the number of trips.
• For shorter errands, consider walking or bicycling.
• Try to take one less car trip per week.
• Consider shorter vacation and recreation trips; learn what's special in nearby nature, culture and history.

Be sure your home is adequately insulated. Adding insulation to attic areas is usually pretty easy. Other areas, such as outside walls, provide a more challenging project if extra insulation is needed.

Check the seals around windows, doors, electrical outlets or any other potential sources for escaping air. Seal these areas using a good quality caulk, and be sure to re-examine your handiwork every few years.

Inside your home, weather stripping around moving parts of windows and doors can help seal off potential areas of leakage or drafts. Storm Systems - Storm doors and windows can provide additional energy savings by preventing air loss and by creating an insulating layer of air.

With a programmable thermostat, you can program winter temperature at 65° at night, then back to 72° during the day. This simple program can save up to 15% on heating bills. If you need your furnace professionally serviced or inspected, call N&M Cool Today Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. We service and maintain all makes and models of air conditioners, furnaces and heat pumps.

New showerheads use a maximum of 2.5 gallons per minute, which saves you water and energy. By replacing your older showerhead, an average family of four can save from $60 (gas) to $150 (electric). The amount of water saved is about 15,000 gallons!

You should occasionally check your toilets for leaks. Just place a few drops of food coloring in the tank (NOT the bowl). You can also use a few tablespoons of instant coffee or Kool-Aid. In thirty minutes, if the water in the bowl is colored, the tank is leaking and the stopper and valve seal may need to be replaced.

Insulating pipes and ducts that run through unheated space will result in a significant savings in your energy bill. Heat escapes from bare hot-water pipes causing the water sitting in those pipes to cool down between uses. This results in running extra water from the faucet to get hot water. Wrapping these pipes will save you money. Wrapping cold water lines won't save you energy dollars, but will eliminate dripping and sweating from condensation, avoiding water spots.

Just do it! Fix those dripping faucets. Turn the faucet off when you are not using the water. Yes, even when you are still standing there and will be using it again shortly. Did you know that showers cost less than baths? You will also use less water if you install energy efficient showerheads.

Don't wash away your money with the dishes. Always run your dishwasher full. You may live in an area where it is more economical to run it during non-peak hours or in the evening. Ditto for the washing machine! Always run it full. The biggest laundry expense is heating the water.

Turn down the temperature on your water heater. If you set the temperature at 120° F or below, you will save about 4% of your energy cost per 10° that you lower your thermostat. When you go on vacation, use the "vacation setting" on your water heater if available.

Green Sustainability Solutions

While some types of roofing may have lower initial costs, the true costs of a roofing system are measured over its total life cycle. These include maintenance and repair costs, energy savings, and tear-off and disposal costs. Clearly, economics is a very important criterion for building owners, and High-Performance Roofing systems must be economical if they are to become viable, real-world options. 

Sustainability means "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Sustainability is a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. The term, in its environmental usage, refers to the potential longevity of vital human ecological support systems, such as the planet's climatic system, systems of agriculture, industry, forestry, fisheries, and the systems on which they depend. In recent years, public discourse has led to a use of "sustainability" in reference to how long human ecological systems can be expected to be usefully productive. In the past, complex human societies have died out, sometimes as a result of their own growth-associated impacts on ecological support systems. The implication is that modern industrial society, which continues to grow in scale and complexity, will also collapse.

Discussions of building "sustainability" often go directly to those aspects that impact energy efficiency. While this is one of the most important aspects of sustainable design, there is much more to sustaining the built environment.

Sustainability considerations should include the impacts of products and designs throughout the lifecycle and the entire supply chain. This means considering such issues as productivity gains, lifecycle cost savings, maintenance, adaptive reuse, destruction and recycling, and overall environmental soundness.

In the commercial roofing industry, reflectivity has been the dominant discussion point for several years, and the Duro-Last® Cool Zone® roofing system has set the standard for single-ply roof reflectivity and the resulting energy savings. Now the term "sustainability" is receiving a lot of attention, and once again, Duro-Last is setting the bar.

But what does sustainability really mean for building owners, facility managers, contractors, architects, and other specifiers? It means that the design, construction, maintenance, life-cycle impact, adaptive re-use, destruction, and recycling of roofing components must help meet the long-term environmental standards demanded by today’s high-performance buildings.

Today, these trends are creating increased demand for a new class of high-performance roofing systems that can satisfy traditional performance criteria – installed cost, performance and longevity – as well as newer criteria – preservation of the environment, energy efficiency, and life-cycle costs.

To be considered "sustainable," a roofing system must meet the Five E's of high-performance roofing: Energy, Environment, Endurance, Economics, and Engineering. In each of these areas, the Duro-Last Cool Zone roofing system leads the commercial roofing industry. Click on the icons above to learn more about the Five E’s and how the Duro-Last Cool Zone roofing system delivers on the multiple demands of high-performance roofing.

The demand for cool and sustainable roofing is transforming the commercial roofing market by creating a need for HPR systems that provide optimal functionality with respect to endurance, economics, energy and environment. This trend directly is tied to the growing demand for energy-efficient, environmentally friendly high-performance buildings nationwide. The high-performance future already is here. The eco-structural challenge - ecological and economical - is to specify HPR systems and continue improving every aspect of these systems and high-performance buildings.

Duro-Last Garden Roof - View
Sustainability Roofing Guide - View
Cool-Zone: The Five E’s of High Performance Roofing - View

Green Recycling Solutions

As landfill availability decreases and tipping fees increase, solid waste generators are becoming more interested in finding alternative ways of managing roof waste.

Approximately 11 million tons of roofing material waste is generated in the U.S. per year. Re-roofing jobs account for 10 million tons, with another 1 million from manufacturing scrap. Florida is estimated to generate 1.2 million tons per year, of which 1.1 million are tear-offs from re-roof jobs. These quantities may fluctuate with the construction industry, and with natural disasters such as hurricanes.

Kelly Roofing actively recycles 90% of all roof debris by transporting tear-off materials to local recycling centers.

Asphalt shingle, concrete roof tile and asphalt felt paper debris are used in constructing new roads. Metal flashings are recycled and transported back to steel mills for reforming. Even wood scraps are separated out and recycled. It is estimated that during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 active hurricane process Kelly Roofing recycled 10,000 tons of debris from torn off roofs each year. "We are doing our part to not only recycle everything we can, but to also ensure the roofs we remove are replaced with long-lasting roofing systems to limit debris in the future," states Ken Kelly, President, Kelly Roofing.

For roofers there are real advantages to recycling, explains William Turley, executive director of the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA). "In some states it is easier to recycle shingles than to dump them in the landfill. Where recycling facilities exist, they are often located closer in town, so there's less trucking involved. Most facilities that recycle also charge a lower tipping fee." The cost averages around $30 per ton or roughly $10 less per ton than ordinary construction waste. Roofers will need to separate out wood and other construction debris, but Turley says most roofers just make a separate pile, which is usually small, and throw that on top of the shingle load so it can be pulled off at the recycling facility.

Recycling construction materials reduces the impacts of producing new materials at the beginning of the lifecycle and the burden on landfills at the end.

Roofing materials are no different. Yet, out of TPO, built-up-roofs (BUR), modified bitumen, rubber (EPDM), and vinyl roofs in the commercial, low-slope roofing market, vinyl (PVC) is the ONLY material with an established recycling system in place and has been in place for well over a decade. Since recycled vinyl is easily introduced into the raw material base for the manufacturing of new roofing and waterproofing membranes, it is an excellent candidate for recycling. In 1997, more than 905 million lbs of post industrial vinyl and 18 million lbs of post consumer vinyl were recycled. In 2005, Roofcollect® collected more than 1.3 million lbs of post consumer vinyl in Europe. Most vinyl roofing membrane manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe participate in post industrial recycling. At Sika Sarnafil Inc., more than 98% of all raw materials are converted into roofing and waterproofing membranes.

Metal roofing is made with a high percentage of recycled content from highly recyclable materials. According to the Steel Recycling Institute, the overall recycling rate of steel products in North America is 70.7 percent—the highest of any construction material. The Metal Initiative states that the recycled content of domestically produced, flat-rolled aluminum construction products is 80 to 85 percent, while the average recycled content of all copper and zinc products is 44 percent and 9 percent, respectively. According to the Metal Construction Association, most metal roofs have a recycled content between 25 and 95 percent. When removed, metal roofs are 100 percent recyclable.

Duro-Last Recycling Brochure - View
Cool-Zone: The Five E's of High Performance Roofing - View
Metro Roofing Recycling Brochure - View
The Recycling of Vinyl Roof Membranes - View

Life Cycle Costs

In terms of High-Performance Roofing, endurance is the ultimate reflection of the performance of every roofing component in terms of reliability, water absorption, wind and fire resistance, maintenance, and repair. No matter how "cool" or "green" a roof is, it still has to protect the building – for years – in all types of weather – a reality that is sometimes neglected in sustainability discussions.

If you’re looking for a roof that will last, consider the Duro-Last membrane track record. More than one billion square feet of Duro-Last membrane have been installed throughout the U.S. since the late 1970s – and many of these roofs are still in service. What makes a Duro-Last Cool Zone roofing system so durable? Each Duro-Last membrane roof is:

• Resistant to water, fire, chemicals, grease, and punctures.
• Able to stand up to all types of weather – including high winds and extremes of hot and cold.
• Virtually maintenance free, unlike other roof materials that may require regular patching and repairs.
• Reinforced with a high-density weft-insertion scrim for exceptional strength and durability.
• Confidently backed by the industry’s best warranties. Duro-Last protects commercial and industrial building owners with either a 15-year full warranty or a 20-year prorated warranty. Both are transferable, and both provide maximum protection. Our standard warranty includes coverage for consequential damages that result from defects in the Duro-Last material and/or installation.

Not only does a Duro-Last Cool Zone roof perform well over the years, it can actually help extend the useful life of other building components. By keeping moisture out while reflecting ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation, it can help to protect underlying insulation and the roofing substrate from deterioration.

• Is properly designed for the location, climate, roof deck and type of building.
• Is installed professionally. Defective workmanship accounts for roughly 30 percent of roofing failures.
• Has physical properties that will stand the test of time: solar reflectance and emittance, tensile strength, water absorption, fire resistance, wind uplift, elongation and thermal expansion, dynamic puncture resistance and resistance to rooftop contaminants such as acid rain and air pollution.
• Is inspected and maintained regularly. This includes limiting the access and traffic on the roof.

While some types of roofing may have lower initial costs, the true costs of a roofing system are measured over its total life cycle. These include maintenance and repair costs, energy savings, and tear-off and disposal costs. Clearly, economics is a very important criterion for building owners, and High-Performance Roofing systems must be economical if they are to become viable, real-world options.

• Reduced installation costs through custom factory prefabrication.
• Low maintenance and repair costs.
• Protection from interior damage costs through leak-proof performance.
• Elimination of extended warranty costs.
• Savings incurred through reduced energy consumption, and related rebates or incentives.

Life-Cycle Cost Worksheet - View
The Five E's of High Performance Roofing - View
Single-Ply Roofing Membranes: Analyzing Performance and Thickness - View

LiveRoof® Gardens

A growing trend in the commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings market is turning "forgotten" roofs into usable space. Photovoltaic and paver systems are gaining a foothold in this area, as are garden roofs.

• All rooftop garden systems require a reliable waterproofing membrane beneath the growing medium and plant life.
• The Cool Zone roofing system is ideal for this application. Duro-Last’s prefabrication technology (every roof is manufactured in-house to fit building dimensions precisely, eliminating up to 85% of rooftop seaming) means less potential for future leaks – a major consideration when the membrane will be covered with a rooftop garden.
• Because the Cool Zone membrane is lightweight (less than 1⁄3 pound per square foot), it will only marginally add to the overall weight of the complete garden roofing system, which can weigh up to 30 pounds per square foot.
• For businesses investing in garden roofs, the cost of the Duro-Last component is minimal compared with that of the entire roofing assembly. Installing a new Cool Zone system on the roof deck prior to installing the garden roof system is a sensible investment.
• The Cool Zone roofing system is also solar ready — an easy-to-install, reliable, watertight application for a variety of photovoltaic technologies.

1. Hearty Regional Vegetation
   Choosing the right plants is one of the most critical factors for a successful garden roof. GardenScapes™ systems offer a choice of regional varieties suited to your specific climate and to meet your personal taste or landscaping objectives.
2. Start-Rite™ Growing Medium
   This custom formulated blend is designed for your specific geographic location. It includes a special organic superfood that promotes fuller, faster plant growth. And to help improve the quality of your runoff water, it even includes a unique carbon filtering compound.
3. DuraGro™ 4-in-1 Drainage
   Exceptionally easy to install, the DuraGro™ system combines four functions into one. It protects the roofing membrane from direct contact with the growing medium. It retains just enough water to help keep the plants from drying out—while slowing the drainage of excess water into storm sewers. Finally, it helps to screen the drain water to keep the DuraGro™ system from clogging.
4. AirField
   From little league to the NFL, the AirField system is the premier drainage system for natural turf fields. The AirDrain geogrid creates a one-inch void below the sand root zone mix that circulates gases and produces the perfect perched water table. An AirField grows the healthiest turf with the strongest roots while preventing costly rainouts. Along with the time and labor savings of installation, superintendents enjoy reduced chemical use, irrigation, and general maintenance. Outperform stone drainage with the unbeatable price and performance of an AirField system.
5. GAF's Reliable Roof Waterproofing System
   The GardenScapes™ system relies on your choice of GAF's field-proven single-ply TPO or multiple-ply TriPositeXL™ roofing systems for its reliable waterproofing ability. No other manufacturer offers you more waterproofing choices for your garden roof.

Achieving... monthly energy cost savings?
Benefiting... the environment?
Obtaining... LEED credits?
Qualifying... for possible local, state, or federal tax incentives?
Installing... downsized HVAC equipment?
Increasing... the life of your roof system by as much as 100%?
Adding... floors or increasing your building footprint?
Reducing... noise from exterior sources by up to 40 dB?
Expediting... your building permit process?
Meeting... local, state, or federal green regulations or initiatives?
Improving... the overall aesthetics of your building envelope?
Increasing... your long-term property value?
Improving... marketing opportunities?


AirField Brochure - View

Flat Roof Decking

CrossTimbers decking is more than an extraordinary product - it's an ingenious solution. Engineering ingenuity enables us to produce a channeled decking board that is actually stronger than many leading competitors' solid boards, while also being 30 percent lighter.

CrossTimbers channeled decking boards also utilize 30 percent less raw materials, so they’re friendlier to the environment.

Specially-engineered voids in CrossTimbers decking result in a board that is 30% lighter, while still being stronger and stiffer than many competitor's solid decking boards. CrossTimbers decking boards are designed to take advantage of Polypropylene’s strengths in ways that are simply not feasible with Polyethylene Deliberately-engineered I-beam and arched voids stiffen the boards while substantially reducing weight. Creating these voids also results in the added benefit of reducing raw materials consumption, so manufacturing is easier on the environment. CrossTimbers engineered voided boards offer performance benefits that outperform many solid boards.

Deliberately-engineered I-beam and arched voids stiffen the boards while substantially reducing weight. Creating these voids also results in the added benefit of reducing raw materials consumption, so manufacturing is easier on the environment. CrossTimbers engineered voided boards offer performance benefits that outperform many solid boards.

There is simply no compromising on quality. CrossTimbers Professional Grade is stronger, lighter, and more solid under foot than many of the industry's best-known brands. The unique XTRM composition limits moisture absorption, as well as expansion and contraction issues. It is resistant to splintering, warping, cracking, and rotting.

CrossTimbers Professional Grade gives you a traditional wood appearance with true-to-life embossed wood-grain texture, and natural colors that age similar to wood. But the real beauty, as with all CrossTimbers decking, is that it delivers all of these benefits with very little maintenance.

For the highest-quality composite decking with a natural wood appearance, CrossTimbers Professional is your ideal choice.

Note: It is difficult to reproduce the color clarity and actual color blends of these products. Before selecting your color, please ask to see several full-size shingles.


Decking Brochure - View
Decking Warranty - View