Welcome to the default, or old school, material for flat roof installations. It’s technical name: Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer is a mouthful. While it is simply a rubber material, we’ll go with EPDM since everyone else does.
EPDM rubber roofs compete directly with TPO and PVC single-ply membranes as a low-slope roofing material. EPDM, though, tends to only be used on flat roofs while PVC and TPO are sometimes used on sloped roofs.
Average Cost To Install a Flat RoofTypical Range: $8,675 - $12,340
The typical installed cost of central heating and cooling ranges from $12,800 to $18,500.
Central heating and cooling residential heat pump
When all options are considered, from entry-level equipment for small homes to high-performance heating and cooling systems for large homes, the cost spectrum is wider – $7,400 to $22,600.
There’s plenty of price information here plus system efficiency and performance details that will assist you in understanding your options.
Stating the Obvious – Prices Have Gone Up
Given the recent increases in the cost of “everything,” you might be shocked but probably aren’t surprised that central heating and cooling prices are 22% to nearly 40% higher than they were just a couple of years ago!
One large heating and air conditioning company in Arizona mentioned in a blog post that wholesale prices on the Trane equipment it buys are up 38%. Bosch systems are up 28%. Those costs – plus higher labor and transportation costs for local installers – are all passed on to us, the homeowner or property owner.
OK, let’s get on to price breakdowns and a Buying Guide that will give you the details needed to be an informed consumer.
Say it with me: Thermoplastic polyolefin. Yes, TPO is much easier. According to Firestone Building Products’ white paper, TPO is technically a polypropylene based plastic combined with ethylene/propylene rubber.
So, plastic and rubber, mixed is what comprises a thermoplastic roofing membrane designed primarily for low-slope roofing applications with energy-efficiency in mind.
Much of the information online boasts how TPO is increasingly popular in commercial flat roofing. The thing is, we aren’t concerned with commercial buildings, and instead focus on the membrane options available, along with the costs, for adding this material to a low-sloped residential roof.
