As well as making sure tiles can handle colder regions, manufacturers offer looks common to those areas.
“When we go into non-traditional areas, like the Northeast of the country, we see more demand for shakes and slates,” Thomas says. “What we’ve done is come out with shake and slate profiles made from clay.”
MonierLifetile recently added a textured look to its slate style of concrete roof tiles.
Morris says his company has made tiles for projects in these areas that imitate slate. However, he says the main draw is to use a product that makes homes stand out.
“People don’t want to have a house that looks like their neighbors,” he says. “When tile goes up on those houses, it’s very design-driven. … They want a specific look.”
The green movement has also fueled more installers to get certified in the application of clay and concrete roofing tile, Sheehy says.
At first, the Tile Roofing Institute only saw contractors from states like California and Arizona entering in its certification program, but now participants are coming in from everywhere, she says. “It’s a higher profit margin for distributors and roofers,” she says. “They can charge more for it.”
Sleekly Solar To add more energy efficiency to their products, roofing tile manufacturers have teamed with solar companies to introduce integrated products.
“A lot of people don’t like the rack look,” says Bob Hale, sales manager at MCA Tile, which has started looking into offering an integrated solar system.
Eagle Roofing offers its Eagle Solar Roof with SolarBlend roof tiles from Suntech Power to give homeowners a sleeker solar option than racked solar cells. US Tile partnered with SRS Energy to introduce the Soé Power Tile, solar tiles that have the same profile as curved clay tile.
“Prior to sale, we had over 300 people that were on a waiting list for the product across the United States, but mostly in California,” says Mike Vogel, national product manager for US Tile. “It became available [in June], and we already sold out.”
While the up-front costs of these systems and roofing tile may not be accessible to all homeowners, the green aspects and energy efficiency of these products allow consumers to think aboutroofs as sustainable, long-term investments.
“Roofing is not just a covering over your head,” Hale says. “It can be an energy-efficient product.”
–Victoria Markovitz
