Preliminary Analysis of Environmental Focus Roofing Strategies in Colorado’s Front Range Region

This exploratory study examines how environmental focus roofing strategies are implemented and used throughout the Front Range in Colorado. Case studies and articles from the Environmental Protection Agency, Solar Energy Industries Association, and the US Energy Information Administration were reviewed and a new Denver Green Building Ordinance. Then, two interviews were conducted to understand the implications of these strategies further. The interviews included one with a public owner representative and another with a regional green roofing contractor. The contractor asserted that these environmental focus roofing solutions would be more affordable over the next few years. As a result, more projects will be implementing solar and green roofs in the Front Range region. In addition, the owner representative provided new ways to overcome the initial cost of solar installation by using a solar power purchase agreement (PPA), which is a financial agreement where a developer arranges for the design, permitting, financing, and installation of a solar energy system on a customer’s property. The preliminary results of this study show that there is an excellent potential for growth based on targeted ordinances and PPAs. The significance of this study is to highlight roofing green and solar roofing strategies and the impact they will have in the coming years in the Front Range region. Further research can evaluate the correlation of PPAs, the Denver ordinance, and the implementation of more environmental-friendly roofs across the state and other regions in the United States.