Environmental Benefits of Installing a Green Roof

The rapid growth of urbanization has advanced the pathways of every sector in India. With the creation of areas and the places we live in, the greenery also changed its way. Plants, trees, and flowers are the most beautiful decor of any place. The Green Roof in a home gives a beautiful appeal and marks a sustainable approach to living. If you want to install a green roof in your home or already have one, you are one step ahead to enjoying the environmental benefits.

The roof surface of a Green Roof or Living Roof or Eco-Roof is partially or wholly covered with vegetation. In sustainability, the green roof helps in moderating heat, lowering surface runoff, providing insulation and most importantly benefits in improving the environment. Mark down the activities that are included in installing a green roof, the environmental benefits, and the advantages in depth.

Installation of Green Roof

While installing a green roof in your home, you need to consider and plan the type of vegetation, strength of the roof, structure and load capacity of the roof.

1. The green roof can be installed in both the existing and new buildings. It is great to have certified experts build a green roof as the process requires a keen eye and well-maintenance.
2. The installation of the green roof begins with covering the roof surface with an insulation layer, and a waterproofing layer while restricting root infiltration. 
3. A drainage system will be present over the green roof to get rid of the excess water from the roof.
4. For the growth of plants and vegetation, soil or the required medium is used as sustenance for the top layers.
5. Don’t forget about the cost and maintenance, because it will be required to combat any issues.

Environmental Benefits of Green Roof

Green roofs not only play an important role in providing a scenic view to homes, but they also help to achieve the environmental goal of living. Here are some of the benefits - 

Insulation Provider

Mostly home roofs affect the temperature as in heat rise and heat loss. However, the green roof acts as insulation by protecting the home against heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter by strengthening the thermal mass of the roof surface. The green roof also acts as a noise resistor by limiting the amount of noise you get through the roof. Here, the uneven surface of the foliage and soil reflects and deflects outside sounds. 

Natural Air Purifiers

Plants are natural air purifiers. They consume Carbon Dioxide from the air and replenish it with Oxygen. Some species can effectively restrict pollutants like dust and soot, and greenhouse gases like Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, CFCs, Methane, Ozone, and many more. Hence, It helps in the purification of air naturally and contributes to healthier living.

Eye Soothing

The best thing about green roofs is that they are appealing to the eyes. They add value to the homes by softening hard concrete borders and adding organic colours to the terraces and rooftops which usually go unused. Green roofs provide an opportunity for gardening to homeowners with little or non-existent garden areas. Living among greenery boosts the spirits and well-being, making your home happier and more relaxed. 

Lower Surface Runoff

Hard roofs are impermeable. But a green roof with soil and substrates absorbs the rainwater and helps lower the runoff rate saving a lot of water that otherwise would drain into the sewers. Also, the green roof can be integrated into a rainwater harvesting system to cut down issues of water pooling on roofs and lawns. The layers on the green roof will act as a natural purifier for the rainwater. 

Energy Efficient

Energy efficiency and sustainability in a home can be boosted significantly with a green roof.  With reduced cooling and heating loads, the cost involved in operating and maintaining mechanical appliances is directly reduced.

What can be the challenges with Green Roof?

Green roofs are emerging as an essential part if we look at environmental destruction today. You may find a few challenges when planning for a green roof installation -

1. The installation can be costlier as compared to the traditional roof.
2. Green roofs require additional maintenance - watering, weeding and even switching to new plants and vegetation.
3. Your roof will be heavier because of the load. So, recheck for the surface strength while installation.

As we can see, the environmental benefits of installing a green roof consist of insulation providers, natural air purifiers, beautifying home appeal, and whatnot. The green roof will be identified with the name of Eco-Roof in the coming days as It is high time people implement this practice of becoming environment friendly. Or else, the results would be hazardous to tackle. Living in high-tech areas or shifting to a dream home, we rarely find the presence of natural air filled with the scent of plants and flowers.

Are we inhaling fresh air? It’s a big NO. The air we breathe is full of pollutants, and our health is badly affected. People are facing issues while breathing and problems like Asthma are becoming quite normal now. So, why not implement a solution that is quite accessible and will benefit you, us, the environment, and our world as a whole? The future lies in your hands.

Wave Yes To Green Roof For Healthy Living.