Evaluating Environmental Impact: Vinyl’s Eco-Friendliness

Vinyl has become one of the most popular types of siding thanks to its durability and cost-effectiveness. And now, there’s another reason for consumers to consider vinyl siding. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), using its BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) tool, found that vinyl siding is more eco-friendly than other types of siding.

Renovation Xperts LLC, a top home renovation company in the state, breaks down the findings below.

Background of the Study 

The first part of the study used 11 categories to assess the environmental impact of the most common siding materials, which are vinyl, cedar board, fiber cement and brick and mortar. The most relevant categories are ozone depletion, smog, global warming, acidification, eutrophication and non-carcinogenic impact.

Ozone Depletion and Eutrophication: Vinyl vs. Cedar Board 

Vinyl outperforms cedar board in all of the said categories. Cedar board’s contribution to ozone depletion was more than twice the impact of vinyl siding. Plus, cedar board had a 42% higher smog impact as well.

Vinyl performed best in the eutrophication category, which measures the materials’ contribution to the amount of nutrient salts in water ecosystems. An increase in nutrient salts can lead to algae overgrowth, fish kills and a decline in water quality. All in all, vinyl’s impact in this category was only 14% of cedar board’s.

The Non-Carcinogenic Category: Vinyl vs. Fiber Cement

Vinyl significantly outperformed fiber cement in the aforementioned categories. In particular, vinyl performed best in the non-carcinogenic category, where its impact was only 1% of that of fiber cement.

Vinyl vs. Brick and Mortar 

Vinyl had a lower impact than brick and mortar in all categories, except for one. Even so, vinyl’s general performance in all of the categories put it way ahead of the rest.

To avoid encountering any issues with siding installation, only hire experienced contractors.

Renovation Xperts LLC is a family-owned home improvement company that specializes in kitchen and basement renovation services. To get a free evaluation, call (202) 315-0744 or fill out this form. We serve homeowners in DC.