If you’re considering getting siding for your home, it’s perfectly understandable to wonder about the environmental impact of your decision. After all, it’s a decision that could have implications for everything from your energy bill to the carbon footprint of your household. As one of the leading providers of vinyl siding in Camden County, the New Window Factory team has answered this question on multiple occasions. Here are three main factors that go into the sustainability of the siding you choose to install:
Material
What your siding is made out of plays a significant role in how eco-friendly it will be. Materials like adobe, stucco, and wood are what many consider to be green materials due to the level of manufacturing they require, and they generally are easy to transport, if sourced locally. However, your selected material may require a significant amount of labor to install, making it less green.
The most common material used for siding – vinyl – requires heavy manufacturing up-front. Still, after this initial ding to its carbon footprint, vinyl siding has a pretty small impact on the environment. It’s lightweight, easy to transport, and reusable if taken down carefully, ensuring that it has a long lifespan.
Recyclability
It’s perhaps unsurprising that any discussion about “green” or “eco-friendly” products will include whether or not the material can be recycled, and siding is no exception. While not all siding can be reused, whether or not it can be recycled depends more on reclaiming it than whether it can be given a second life. Materials like wood, metal, brick, and vinyl can all be taken down and reused if the team undertaking the task has the right skill set to do so.
Labor
If your siding requires a lot of work to install, that’s going to have an impact on your siding’s overall carbon footprint. Conversely, lightweight materials like wood require little labor to install and therefore have a smaller carbon footprint as a result.
Deciding to install siding for your home requires careful consideration of the cost and its associated benefits. If you want to find the most eco-friendly decision or wish to schedule an appointment with a leading installer of vinyl siding in Burlington County, call New Window Factory today!