Metal roofing is rapidly gaining acceptance as a very energy-efficient material. Property owners have reported energy savings of as high as 20% and even more after installing metal roofing. The reflectivity and subsequent energy efficiency of metal roofing has been confirmed in studies done by Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida Power and Light, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and other independent organizations. Ongoing studies are conducted to continually substantiate and quantify the energy efficiency of metal roofing. Many available metal roofs are being documented to meet Energy Star requirements. This can have a tremendous impact on energy usage by reducing air conditioning costs and the smog and pollution that are created by the production of that energy. Additionally, the low thermal mass of metal roofing means that it dissipates heat very quickly once the sun goes behind a cloud or sets for the day. Other roofing materials have greater thermal mass and will continue to radiate captured heat into the structures beneath them even when the sun is not shining.

Metal roofing and the finishes used on it are inert, safe materials that do not pose a health risk. Furthermore, metal roofing is noncombustible, which provides additional fire protection for homes. Of course, one roofing material that has turned out to be very dangerous is asbestos shingle. Asbestos was used extensively many years ago and, now that we have realized the health hazards it poses, we're spending many millions of dollars each year to get rid of it. This worry does not exist with metal. Also, many consumers with chemical sensitivities are turning to metal roofing and finding that it does not have the allergy problems associated with other roofing materials. Today's commercially produced metal roofing systems are carefully tested on an ongoing basis for performance, wind resistance, fire resistance, and hail resistance. They are listed with various building codes and entities, including Underwriters Laboratories, International Congress of Building Officials, Dade County (FL), Southern Building Code Congress International, and others.

Metal roofing's durability can virtually eliminate the need to use future raw materials to produce roofing. Metal roofing is unaffected by the hot-cold/wet-dry weather cycles that break down other materials. Other roofing materials, however, are heavily affected by weather extremes. In addition, metal roofing is known for its ability to hold up against other weather forces including windstorms, hail, ice, and snow. No other roofing material has greater ability to withstand a wider range of weather conditions. There are many handmade metal roofs still in existence that date back to the 1800s. Commercially produced metal roofing systems have been available since about 1910. Numerous profiles and types have been produced since then, and there are examples of these roofs across the country. 

Depending on the product chosen, metal roofing has a weight that is from 1/3 to as little as 1/8 the weight of conventional roofing shingles! In comparison to heavy tile and slate roofing, the weight of metal roofing is minuscule. This low weight serves several valuable purposes. First, it puts less weight load on a structure. This helps extend the life of buildings and also provides invaluable protection against the threat of roof cave-in in the event of seismic activity. However, with retrofit applications, many metal roofs can be installed over the old roofing material. This prevents the need to remove the old roof and fill up valuable landfill space. Each year, about 20 billion pounds of old composition roofing shingles are dumped into U.S. landfills. Metal roofing is the way to avoid this degradation of the environment. Additionally, metal's low weight and high strength present an ideal way to cover and encapsulate existing asbestos roofing shingles rather than create a health risk as a result of removing the asbestos and putting it in a landfill.

As consumers, many of us are careful to collect our recyclable materials and turn them in for collection. In reality, though, we are offered very few consumer products through which we can "close the loop" by purchasing products that are high in recycled content. Metal roofing, however, offers that option to consumers by allowing them to choose a significant building product on the basis of its recycled content. Most metal roofs have recycled content ranging from 25% to 95%. This is in stark contrast to conventional roofing shingles, which have much shorter lives and use oil-based products as their primary raw material. The recycled content of metal roofing has been a compelling reason for several state and local entities, such as solid waste districts and departments of natural resources, to include metal roofing on their list of "green" and recycled-content products.