How Do Green Roofs Provide Insulation

Cotton is a natural and renewable resource which makes the plant one of the greenest insulation products on the planet.

How do green roofs provide insulation. Well some of that material actually gets recycled into insulation. The combination of substrate plants and the embedded air in the green roof system provide good sound insulation. Sound waves are both absorbed reflected or deflected. Whilst the growing medium tends to block lower sound frequencies the plants tend to block higher frequencies.

When it comes to roofing green roofs are without doubt one of the more visible signals that you have built a sustainable home. 1 cool your roof cool roofs are lighter in color than traditional black asphalt or dark wood shingles and save energy by reflecting light and heat away rather than absorbing them. However a green roof does not provide additional insulation. This is known as the albedo effect and many studies have documented significant energy savings from simply lightening the color of a roof.

A green roof s plants remove air particulates produce oxygen and provide shade. They absorb heat from the sun they absorb co2. The basic anatomy of a green roof consists of vegetation growing medium filter membrane drainage layer waterproof root repellant layer roofing membrane support for plantings above thermal insulation vapor control layer and structural roof support. For one thing it can be rolled into batts.

The combination of soil plants and trapped layers of air within green roof systems can act as a noise insulation barrier. According to a study conducted by the national research council of canada even a six inch extensive green roof can reduce summer energy demands by more than 75 percent. Sound waves are absorbed and reflected. Unlike traditional black tar roofs green roofs reduce energy costs by absorbing heat instead of attracting it and providing natural insulation for buildings.

The substrate blocks the lower frequencies while the plants absorb the higher frequencies. They use heat energy during evapotranspiration a natural process that cools the air as water evaporates from plant leaves. In addition to thermal insulation a green roof also has a sound insulating effect. The greater insulation offered by green roofs can reduce the amount of energy needed to moderate the temperature of a building as roofs are the site of the greatest heat loss in the winter and the hottest temperatures in the summer.

There is a lot of cynicism that they don t actually serve enough eco purpose to be worthwhile but they do have some genuine benefits.