Greener building products do not cost the earth

Sandtoft Roof Tiles says 'premium' cost of green materials is a myth

As companies across every area of the construction industry react to growing pressures to become more environmentally friendly, one leading roof tile manufacturer has dispensed with the myth that 'buying green' costs a premium.

Sandtoft Roof Tiles claims that when it comes to roofing products, construction firms can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of building's roof whilst simultaneously reducing its financial cost by selecting natural, well-designed roofing solutions.

Simon Oldridge, managing director at Sandtoft Roof Tiles commented: "There is a myth amongst the construction community that any product marketed as 'green' or environmentally considerate is likely to cost a premium over the alternatives".

"Although this may be the case in the consumer marketplace, in the construction trade the 'green' credentials of a product can derive from its design and efficient use of materials - which are naturally linked to a cost efficiency".

"Nowhere is this clearer than in the context of roofing," he continued, "where an interlocking clay plain tile, for instance can reduce the carbon footprint of a roof by 35 percent when compared with a traditional clay plain tile just through its design efficiencies".

"The fact that less product is required per square metre means costs for the project are also significantly reduced - both in terms of materials and installation." A design using an interlocking natural clay roof tile such as Sandtoft's 20/20 product, will need 40 fewer tiles per square metre than using clay plain tiles, whilst still offering a natural clay solution.

The reduced weight of product per roof means less energy is used during the manufacture of the roofing solution: on average, 35 percent less.

When this reduction is combined with the fact that Sandtoft's production plants use 100 percent green electricity, 20/20 has the capacity to reduce the carbon footprint of a roof by 50 percent - a significant saving.

Equally, the reduced weight of a roof using 20/20, means the emissions attributed to the transportation of the tiles to site are also reduced, adding to the product's growing green credentials.

20/20's superior coverage results in a 60 percent reduction in the number of wooden battens required for a project, which again significantly reduces the impact on the environment and reduces costs.

Simon Oldridge continued: "The embodied energy of a home can be equivalent to 15 years of energy use required to run the completed building*".

"By reducing the amount of CO2 generated during the manufacture of the building materials, designers and developers can make a significant difference to a development's contribution to climate change".

"We believe that the selection and sourcing of materials should be at the forefront of any project's environmental policy, and manufacturers such as Sandtoft have a responsibility to develop products that will not only support sustainable building, but will also offer the fiscal benefits of intelligent design".

RIBA selected Simon Oldridge as a keynote speaker at its inaugural Sustainable Products conference this May, and Sandtoft has introduced a wealth of innovative measures throughout its organisation to reduce its impact on the environment and offer greener roofing products to the UK construction industry.

Earlier this year, the company switched to 100 percent renewable electricity, and the manufacturer has begun an ambitious conversion of its vehicle fleet to 100 percent biodiesel.

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