Page 58 - Green Builder Magazine Spring 2018 Awards Issue
P. 58
TPO: Single-Ply Perfection
OMES WITH FLAT OR LOWSLOPE ROOFS are at a
disadvantage when it comes to products like slate or
wood roong. Thermoplastic olen (TPO) membrane is
H a cost-eective and energy-ecient option. Considered
to be a form of cool roof, TPO is Energy Star rated and 100 percent
recyclable.
Products such as GAF’s EverGuard line are becoming popular
among residential owners due to a low price tag—TPO typically
costs about $6 per square foot, or about $9,000 for a 1,500-square-foot
house. There’s also a strong solar reection ability, and resistance
to tears, dirt and bacteria.
On the down side, the warranty isn’t great—typically, five
years for workmanship—and a lot of questions remain about
the product’s long-term viability because of its mere two-decade
presence on the market. Many manufacturers are still improving
their formulations to achieve the greatest durability and longevity
at the lowest cost. And, ASTM standards for TPO roofs are still
being revised every few years.
CREDIT: TESLA
An efficient
envelope. TPO Flat fiction? If the Tesla CEO has his way, flat, high-efficiency solar panels
membrane roofing will soon be available for custom homes nationwide.
isn’t flashy, but it
gets the job Solar: ce A e oo n
done at a low cost
to the pocketbook T SOUNDS LIKE SCIENCE FICTION: high-end solar panels that
and the environment. look like roong shingles. But when the backer is Tesla CEO
Elon Musk, the idea doesn’t seem so far-fetched. The billionaire
I is pushing development of four glass-tiled prototypes that he
believes will be the next evolution in residential photovoltaic power.
Tesla’s product, scheduled to hit the market by the end of 2018,
would be indistinguishable from another house without panels and
would be capable of powering the entire home—making it instantly
net zero, according to the company. Excess energy would be stored 1
in a Powerwall 2 battery pack for night and cloudy days. The glass 1
tiles would be strong enough to walk on and would be custom made
to keep a roof from looking just like a neighbor’s. 3 5
The drawback is the price. Analysts note that construction 2
materials, housing designs—most likely those for high-end custom
homes—and specialists needed to install such systems could mean
a total price of $70,000 to $100,000 for a 3,000-square-foot roof. A 4
typical homeowner would have to save $55,000 to break even.
For the record, several other companies have attempted or have
at solar products on the market. Dow Chemical failed with the
Powerhouse Shingles line it unveiled in 2010. CertainTeed has
its Apollo II roof-top energy system, which installs into existing 1 4
roong—a step up from Tesla’s product, which requires an all-new
roof during install. Sunare’s new thin-lm solar panels, capable of
9kW output, can be attached with a two-sided specialized roong 2 5
tape. Atlanta Energy System’s SunSlates Power Roof and SunTegra’s
Solar Tile Roof Systems are also making their way through an ever-
more crowded market. GB 3
56 GREEN BUILDER Special Awards Issue 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com
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