Green Roofs Drastically Reduce Energy Bills

August 6, 2008

image courtesy of thingermejig

Researchers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center have completed the first study comparing the effectiveness of different types of green, vegetated roofs against traditional roofs. The study compared green roofs created by six different manufacturers to find out how much they cooled a building’s interior and how much rainwater they captured.

The lead investigator in the study, Dr. Mark Simmons, said not all green roofs are created equal, and that some do not capture rainwater and prevent it from reaching the ground.

The most interesting part of the study to me was that the study revealed a building’s A/C bill can be reduced up to 21% in comparison to traditional black tar rooftops. Depending on the size of a home, office or industrial building, that is a heavy chunk of dough that can’t be overlooked. Many people think the “green” movement is silly but rarely does anyone think “hey, I hate money and I want to get rid of as much as I possibly can.”

During one 91 degree day, a black top box with no air conditioning reached 129 degrees inside, compared to 97 to 100 degrees inside the green roof box.

So if money or the environment aren’t enough for you, perhaps comfort is. I don’t think it’s realistic that our city go rip off their roofs and put in green roofs but I do think it’s reasonable that new home builders trend toward green roofs as a start toward more environmentally sensitive building practices that will help homeowners save money AND remain comfortable.

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