o   More than 12 billion square feet of asphalt roofing material is produced annually in the United States. (source: Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association)

There is approximately 50 billion ft of asphalt roofing produced annually throughout the world

o       80 to 85% of all asphalt shingle roofing produced in the U.S. is for replacement purposes. (source: Athena Institute & Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association)

o       80% of all U.S. structures use asphalt shingle roofing systems. (source: Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association)

o       U.S. structures = 141,315,585 (source: U.S. Census Bureau)

  80% of these structures use asphalt shingles = 113,052,468 structures

o     Asphalt shingles have been estimated to begin failing and producing water leakage within 5 to 17 years after installation regardless of their limited warrantee length, this depends on the weather and temperature in which they are used. Failures in turn result in structural damage that often goes unnoticed until significant damage has occurred, this includes damage to insulation and the creation of possible fire hazards. (source: American Society of Home Inspectors, Roofing Contractors and Building Contractors)

The limited warrantees offered by roofing manufacturers have been recognized as a marketing tool only, in that they only warrantee against manufacturing defects and not system failures.

 

Enforcement of the claims of these warrantees only include providing replacement material at no cost and does not cover damages, labor or any other reimbursements. (source: Bob Villa http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Asphalt_Shingles-Asphalt_Shingles-A1464.html)

o     From past scientific surveys of hurricane damage, it can be seen that damage to roofing and water damage to contents are the most frequent and costly repairs..... It can be seen that the most significant forms of damage were associated with roofing loss. (source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development “Durability by Design")

o     The U.S. has sustained 90 weather-related disasters over the past 29 years in which overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total normalized losses for the 90 events exceed $700 billion. (source: NOAA)

o     In many cases of roof damage, the frequency of fastener attachment was not adequate to resist Katrina’s winds. (source: - Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI) Hurricanes Rita & Katrina Investigation- Team 3 Report)

o     A team of more than 700 engineers and other volunteers from throughout 41 Army Corps of Engineers districts worldwide wrapped up a seven-month mission to provide temporary repairs to both residential and public building roofs damaged by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina…More than 81,000 roofs in Louisiana and more than 152,000 buildings within an 82,000-square-mile area stretching from Texas to Alabama received temporary roofing following the two hurricanes that pounded more than 500 miles of the Gulf Coast region. (source: Air Force News –Blue Roof Project)

o     The built environment, including buildings and other development, plays a substantial role in environmental health, human welfare and economic stability. Building operation accounts for 40% of U.S. energy use; this number increases to an estimated 48% when the energy required to make building materials and construct buildings are included. Building operations alone contribute over 38% of the U.S.’s carbon dioxide emissions and over 12% of its water consumption. Waste from demolition, construction and remodeling makes up over 35% of all non-industrial waste. (source: - The U.S. Green Building Council)

o     Re-roofing alone generates a corresponding large volume of scrap material, estimated at 7 to 10 million tons of shingle tear-off waste and installation scrap in the U.S. annually. (source: - Athena Institute)

o     One of the most significant and costly maintenance problems we have deals with roofing and collateral damage caused by roof failure. (source: - U.S. Army Installation Command (IMCOM) – Michael Frnka)

o     Hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, and thunderstorms can cause significant loss of life, injury, destruction of property, and economic and social disruption. All States and regions are vulnerable to these hazards. The United States currently sustains several billion dollars in economic damages each year due to these windstorms. In recent decades, rapid development and population growth in high-risk areas has greatly increased overall vulnerability to windstorms.  (source: - U.S. Senate & U.S. House of Representatives H.R. 3980  - National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act SEC. 2 FINDINGS)