With the COP26 summit taking place, the issue of the environment has been broadly discussed as never before, with no topic off the table.

There have been announcements over deforestation, coal use, zero emissions targets and much more, but the built environment is another area where it is widely agreed much needs to be done.

While the issue of how insulated Britain’s homes are has been raised forcibly and controversially by Insulate Britain’s road blockades, the Architects’ journal has backed a ‘Retro First’ campaign to focus on refurbishing exiting properties rather than knocking them down to build new ones, to prevent the release of embedded carbon.

If you have a flat roof, it may be worth looking at how that can be made greener.

A couple of ways we have already covered in previous blogs include having a green roof with vegetation, or a blue roof to help collect and store rainwater.

However, we can do many more things to help make your roof greener. EPDM Rubber roofing installation is one of the best solutions, because the material has a range of great qualities. It is great at insulation, non-toxic, lasts for a long time and is often made from recycled rubber, meaning old tyres and other items get a new lease of life.

There are also many things you can install on top of a flat roof. An obvious example is solar panels, which can be mounted at an angle to recreate the gradient of a sloping roof and generate green electricity. However, for this to work you will need to have a roof located in a place where it can catch the sun, rather than being shielded by walls or trees.

Of course, an eco-friendly flat roof won’t solve all the world’s environmental problems, but every bit helps and by matching this up with other steps, every householder can do their bit to cut emissions and save the planet.