Monier Lifetile has introduced “smog eating tile” concrete roofing that the manufacturer claims will reduce the amount of pollution in the atmosphere. According to the company, titanium dioxide incorporated into the blending process allows the surface to react with sunlight and neutralize nitrogen oxide pollutants, . Rainfall or spraying the roof with a hose causes the neutralized particle nitrate residue to rinse off, where it can act as a fertilizer for grass and landscaping.
Monier Lifetile says 2,000 square feet of the roofing can remove the same amount of nitrogen oxide that a car will produce when it drives 10,800 miles. The technique is now being tested for application to clay tiles as well. KB Homes was the first builder to install the new roofing product, offering it in the Alamosa community in Lancaster, CA.
The interim energy conservation code in Albuquerque, NM was set to require only Energy Star labeled white roofs as of August 1, 2010 for both reroof jobs and new roofs. This would have banned tar and gravel, earth-tone colored tile, asphalt shingle pitched roofs, as well as colored metal roofing. However, based on protest from consumers and contractors the mayor put the ban on hold for further review. The mayor, Richard Berry, suggested that perhaps the so-called “roof reflectancy” section of the energy conservation code might become optional. It is now being reviewed