Green Roof Cost Savings

They are fairly lightweight and can be installed on roofs with a pitch from 0º to 30º.

Green roof cost savings.

The university found that the green roof would cost 464 000 to install versus 335 000 for a conventional roof in 2006 dollars. 1 3 these temperature reduction and energy efficiency benefits are a key contributor to the growing popularity of green roofs in the. The largest reductions were seen in rooms directly below the green roof and no reductions were found more than three floors down. Based on these considerations recover green roofs has found that extensive roofs can cost about 10 to 50 per square foot while intensive roofs can cost from 20 to 200 per square foot.

Over its estimated lifespan of 40 years a green roof would save about 200 000 of which nearly two thirds would come from reduced energy costs. An extensive green roof is the most common and least expensive type of green roof with costs ranging from 10 20 a square foot 2. They consist of a thin layer of soil with continuous coverage of growing material. The green roof provided an annual energy saving of 1 6 in cooling and 0 5 in heating.

All these come at an extra cost. Finally there is also ongoing costs to consider for maintenance and repairs. Over its lifetime though the green roof would save about 200 000. The u value of the roof was reduced from 0 59 to 0 42 with a green roof and 0 38 for the green roof with water storage.

A large scale green roof on top of an exclusive london high rise might cost hundreds of thousands whereas the small garden you have on your garage may have cost as little as 500 if you have done it yourself. 1 2 in addition green roofs can reduce building energy use by 0 7 compared to conventional roofs reducing peak electricity demand and leading to an annual savings of 0 23 per square foot of the roof s surface. As an estimate in the uk the average cost per square meter of extensive green roof system is 50 100 whereas an intensive green roof system is 60 150. Building owners have to understand that any available research about the insulation value of green roofs reflect only a current snap shot and potential savings in a very short time period less that half life time of a green roof and they are worthless when the intention is to build for half a century.

The economic benefits of any individual green roof will however depend on its design geographic location surroundings and the building itself. Ecoroofs are expected to be an important part of the city s urban strategy as it grows and density increases in the decades to come.