Installing a green roof system is something that is becoming increasingly popular on large commercial buildings in cities and even residential homes. It is most commonly built on businesses with flat roofs that are wanting to use the roof space that usually goes unused and make it more functional. Green roofing offers some amazing environmental benefits:
Improved Air Quality
Green roofs can go a long way in improving the air quality of a city because of the plants’ ability to filter out airborne pollution and harmful gases. Because green roofs have the ability to moderate temperature changes it will affect the need of energy from power plants which can in turn reduce the amount of CO2 and other pollutants from being produced.
Urban Heat Island Effect
This effect happens in large cities where temperatures are warmer than the surrounding areas due to the high population. Green roofs help reduce the impact of urban heat islands in by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and smog. Plants will help to absorb light and reduce the heat
Energy Efficiency
Green roofing acts as an insulator which can reduce the amount of energy needed to maintain the temperature inside the building. The National Research Council of Canada found that a green roof can reduce the need for air conditioning in the summer by 75%.
Other things that a green roof provides include providing a habitat for birds, reducing noise, and increasing the durability of the roofing membrane by protecting it from exposure to high temperatures and ultraviolet radiation. Green roof systems offers the opportunity to use a large space, typically left empty, for building community gardens or recreational areas for employees.
Thompson Roofing and Siding offers commercial services for installation and repair of flat roof systems. For more information, give us a call at (573) 789-8367.