- The simple act of using a lighter-colored roofing material can
make your roof greener.
- Installing a living roof is a very heavy activity. You have
to be sure your whole home can support the extra weight of soil, plants, and
water.
- The usual warranty period for alternative green roofing (like tile
or metal) is often a lot longer than just an asphalt roof.
- While a living roof or tile roof is very heavy, a metal roof is
actually much lighter than those options.
- If a
whole roof change is too much for you, another green option is a tubular skylight. This offers additional lighting in
your home and might get you a tax credit.
- Green roofing is an important and effective option in helping
improve the environment. Here’s hoping we can all do our part in helping
the environment this year.
- With
green roofs, water is stored by the substrate and then taken up by the
plants from where it is returned to the atmosphere through transpiration
and evaporation.
- In
summer, depending on the plants and depth of growing medium, green roofs
retain 70-90% of the precipitation that falls on them; in winter they
retain between 25-40%. For example, a grass roof with a 4-20 cm (1.6 - 7.9
inches) layer of growing medium can hold 10-15 cm (3.9 - 5.9 inches) of
water.
- Green
roofs not only retain rainwater, but also moderate the temperature of the
water and act as natural filters for any of the water that happens to run
off.
- Green
roofs reduce the amount of storm water runoff and also delay the time at
which runoff occurs, resulting in decreased stress on sewer systems at
peak flow periods.
