Vinyl Siding-Environmentally Friendly Building Material
Posted By Houston Decorator on September 24, 2010
It seems that no matter which way a person turns these days they are confronted by the philosophy of going green and helping to save the planet by making environmentally sound choices. When either building new construction or performing renovations on already existing homes finding eco-friendly building materials will fit with the environmental concerns consumers have. Outer cladding can come in several varieties be it wood, steel, aluminum, or vinyl siding. Besides prices, the sustainability of each should be explored, but of these vinyl has many benefits for the environment.
Vinyl siding starts with two common building blocks, salt and natural gas. These two components are available in the United States and because of this, it reduces the need for the use of imported energy products. The manufacturing process for vinyl produces little waste as any scraps that are created are reground and reused. The production of vinyl, also known as polyvinyl chloride, uses less energy to produce than many competing products. Due to its composition, this kind of siding is extremely durable and is engineered to last. It also produces less waste when it is installed compared to other forms of exterior cladding.
The use of insulated siding has the benefit of reducing the energy cost as well as the energy consumption due to the insulation increasing the R-Value of the exterior walls. Vinyl siding is able to balance the environmental and economic performance and with it being very lightweight, it requires less fuel to transport to job sites. One of its other environmental benefits is that is releases fewer chemicals over its lifetime and reduces CO2 emissions.
The sustainability of vinyl siding is a good ecological selling point. It needs fewer resources to maintain as it requires no painting, staining of caulking to maintain. All that is required is an occasion light washing with a rag and a garden hose. It also emits less dioxin into the environment according to the EPA as opposed to other cladding. Overall it poses no serious health hazards and is a great choice for both new construction as well as for renovations including those of a historical nature.
If you are looking for more great info on vinyl siding Dave Gorski recommends: http://www.justvinylsiding.com
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