Energy
While a green roof system may not pay for itself on energy savings alone, significant potential exists to improve the energy performance of a building by incorporating the GreenGrid system. While other systems may simply offer that a green roof should help save energy, they often rely upon generic data, and cannot provide details to help support the claim, or more importantly, help you model the impact.
The GreenGrid system has been evaluated for energy performance, and third-party researchers from Columbia University, working with ConEd in New York City, have determined that the effective R-value for the G2 extensive GreenGrid system is R-100 in the summer and approximately R-7 in the winter. This compares to their equivalent R-value calculations for white roofs at approximately R-50 in the summer and R-0 in the winter.
The GreenGrid system was also included in a study performed by Oak Ridge National Labs, and was found to reduce heat gain in summer months by 61% versus a “cool” white roof system, and reduce heat losses in winter months by approximately 40% versus the white roof system control.
Overall, smart design including green roofs over contiguous spaces, particularly those of 4 stories or less, can help maximize the energy savings potential of your GreenGrid roof.