Green roofs

[William]

Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff. Municipalities are looking at
measures to help bring this practice into the mainstream. A look at
the cities leading this effort reveals a growing range of policy
tools.
(Full Article http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-6/spheres.html)

Sounds like a good idea doesn't it?

[george conklin]

Post by William
Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff. Municipalities are looking at
measures to help bring this practice into the mainstream. A look at
the cities leading this effort reveals a growing range of policy
tools.
(Full Article
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-6/spheres.html)
Sounds like a good idea doesn't it?

During the fuel crisis of 1974, there were tons of articles about super
insulation. Utility bills could fall to a trivial amount with modifications
of standard building practices such as making a roof truss start out with a
6-12 inch vertical so insulation could reach the edge of the ceiling of a
room. That would do the trick without worrying about very heavy soil on the
roof and constant leads, mildew and other problems which growing grass on
your roof would yield. But it did not happen. Why? The cost would be
quite low, but builders did not want to modify their habits. It still could
happen, quite easily too. I purchased a house shortly after that with a
solar hot water heater and what passed for better insulation and even today
2,400 square feet runs me only $126 a month to heat, cool and do the other
things you need to do around the house. That is about half of what a new
house would run (based on my daughers house) which just meets minimum code.

[Amy Blankenship]

Post by george conklin

Post by William
Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff. Municipalities are looking at
measures to help bring this practice into the mainstream. A look at
the cities leading this effort reveals a growing range of policy
tools.
(Full Article
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-6/spheres.html)
Sounds like a good idea doesn't it?

During the fuel crisis of 1974, there were tons of articles about super
insulation. Utility bills could fall to a trivial amount with
modifications of standard building practices such as making a roof truss
start out with a 6-12 inch vertical so insulation could reach the edge of
the ceiling of a room. That would do the trick without worrying about
very heavy soil on the roof and constant leads, mildew and other problems
which growing grass on your roof would yield. But it did not happen.
Why? The cost would be quite low, but builders did not want to modify
their habits. It still could happen, quite easily too. I purchased a
house shortly after that with a solar hot water heater and what passed for
better insulation and even today 2,400 square feet runs me only $126 a
month to heat, cool and do the other things you need to do around the
house. That is about half of what a new house would run (based on my
daughers house) which just meets minimum code.

But your house does not reduce the amount of runoff and still reflects a lot
of heat.

[William]

Post by george conklin

Post by William
Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff. Municipalities are looking at
measures to help bring this practice into the mainstream. A look at
the cities leading this effort reveals a growing range of policy
tools.
(Full Article
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-6/spheres.html)
Sounds like a good idea doesn't it?

During the fuel crisis of 1974, there were tons of articles about super
insulation. Utility bills could fall to a trivial amount with modifications
of standard building practices such as making a roof truss start out with a
6-12 inch vertical so insulation could reach the edge of the ceiling of a
room. That would do the trick without worrying about very heavy soil on the
roof and constant leads, mildew and other problems which growing grass on
your roof would yield. But it did not happen. Why? The cost would be
quite low, but builders did not want to modify their habits. It still could
happen, quite easily too. I purchased a house shortly after that with a
solar hot water heater and what passed for better insulation and even today
2,400 square feet runs me only $126 a month to heat, cool and do the other
things you need to do around the house. That is about half of what a new
house would run (based on my daughers house) which just meets minimum code.

I don't see why these two methods of energy saving can't run
in unison.
Does the solar panel take up the whole roof?

[george conklin]

Post by William

Post by george conklin

Post by William
Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff. Municipalities are looking at
measures to help bring this practice into the mainstream. A look at
the cities leading this effort reveals a growing range of policy
tools.
(Full Article
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-6/spheres.html)
Sounds like a good idea doesn't it?

During the fuel crisis of 1974, there were tons of articles about super
insulation. Utility bills could fall to a trivial amount with modifications
of standard building practices such as making a roof truss start out with a
6-12 inch vertical so insulation could reach the edge of the ceiling of a
room. That would do the trick without worrying about very heavy soil on the
roof and constant leads, mildew and other problems which growing grass on
your roof would yield. But it did not happen. Why? The cost would be
quite low, but builders did not want to modify their habits. It still could
happen, quite easily too. I purchased a house shortly after that with a
solar hot water heater and what passed for better insulation and even today
2,400 square feet runs me only $126 a month to heat, cool and do the other
things you need to do around the house. That is about half of what a new
house would run (based on my daughers house) which just meets minimum code.

I don't see why these two methods of energy saving can't run
in unison.
Does the solar panel take up the whole roof?

No, but ones for electricity would, and the weight for soil on a
household roof would make it virtually impossible to use anything other than
large steel beams to hold it all up. Dense insulation is light.

[j***@phred.org]

Post by William
Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff.

The more promising systems use a lighter growing medium than soil, less
load on the roof.

Green roofs make a huge amount of sense for large warehouses and
industrial buildings. In areas with good surface water management
practices, large buildings often have to have large storm water
detention ponds that take up valuable real estate, encourage mosquitos,
and require maintenance.

A properly-implemented green roof will slow storm water release enough
to largely eliminate detention ponds, which frees up valuable land.
They can also be planted with plants that provide habitat for birds and
beneficial insects that are usually displaced by industrial development.

If suitable standards can be developed to quantify the storm water
detention value of green roofs, I can think of many local industrial
sites that would profitably install green roofs in exchange for being
allowed productive use of more of their land. And the environmental
value of an acre of roof-meadow is much higher than that of the stone-
lined detention pond it would replace.

[RJ]

Post by William
Rooftops partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in
soil medium over a waterproof membrane-have sprouted in urban areas
across the United States over the past few years. Compared to
conventional roofing, green roofs are better in terms of energy
efficiency and reducing rain runoff. Municipalities are looking at
measures to help bring this practice into the mainstream. A look at
the cities leading this effort reveals a growing range of policy
tools.
(Full Article http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-6/spheres.html)
Sounds like a good idea doesn't it?

Until it leaks. Then not such a good idea.