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The effectiveness of green roofs in reducing building energy consumptions across different climates. A summary of literature results

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  • Bevilacqua, Piero

Abstract

Green roofs are an interesting technology that has attracted worldwide attention because of the multi-disciplinary benefits, involving the improvement of stormwater management, the mitigation of the urban heat island effect, the prolonged lifespan of the roof membrane, the enhancement of urban aesthetic, the creation of recreational spaces, and the possibility to generate energy savings for building heating and cooling. Several papers dealt with green roofs, spacing from quantification of runoff quality and quantity, to the evaluation of plant and substrate intrinsic characteristics, to the social aspects related to the installation of vegetated surfaces in densely populated cities. A big share of research has investigated the thermal performances of different green roof solutions in the attempt to assess the effect on the building energy demand. A lot of studies have been conducted through experimental research on properly instrumented green roofs or by numerical simulations implemented in different environments or even by developing and validating thermo-physical models that describe the interaction between the green roof and the surrounding environment. Although the relevant number of papers dealing with the thermal performance of vegetated roofs in the literature, quantitative estimations of the reduction of building energy consumption due to green roofs are not easily found. The paper presents a comprehensive literature review to summarize the relevant findings in terms of energy savings produced by a green roof to offer a suitable answer to the question of the energy effectiveness of such a solution and quantitatively report the results obtained across different climates.

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  • Bevilacqua, Piero, 2021. "The effectiveness of green roofs in reducing building energy consumptions across different climates. A summary of literature results," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:151:y:2021:i:c:s1364032121008017
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111523
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Tan, Taotao & Kong, Fanhua & Yin, Haiwei & Cook, Lauren M. & Middel, Ariane & Yang, Shaoqi, 2023. "Carbon dioxide reduction from green roofs: A comprehensive review of processes, factors, and quantitative methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    3. Kotarela, Faidra & Kyritsis, Anastasios & Agathokleous, Rafaela & Papanikolaou, Nick, 2023. "On the exploitation of dynamic simulations for the design of buildings energy systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    4. Nikolaos Ntoulas & Georgios Papaioannou & Konstantinos Bertsouklis & Panayiotis A. Nektarios, 2024. "Tolerance of Tall Fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) Growing in Extensive Green Roof Systems to Saline Water Irrigation with Varying Leaching Fractions," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Peter Juras, 2022. "Positive Aspects of Green Roof Reducing Energy Consumption in Winter," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-14, February.
    6. Laura Žorža & Kristīne Ceļmalniece & Alise Sieriņa & Una Andersone-Ozola & Tūrs Selga & Gederts Ievinsh & Buka Bērziņa & Vadims Bartkevičs & Olga Muter, 2023. "Formaldehyde Removal by Expanded Clay Pellets and Biofilm in Hydroponics of a Green Wall System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-15, September.
    7. Hawks, M.A. & Cho, S., 2024. "Review and analysis of current solutions and trends for zero energy building (ZEB) thermal systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    8. Natalia Sergeevna Shushunova & Elena Anatolyevna Korol & Nikolai Ivanovich Vatin, 2021. "Modular Green Roofs for the Sustainability of the Built Environment: The Installation Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Ahmad Manasrah & Mohammad Masoud & Yousef Jaradat & Piero Bevilacqua, 2022. "Investigation of a Real-Time Dynamic Model for a PV Cooling System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, March.
    10. He, Q. & Tapia, F. & Reith, A., 2023. "Quantifying the influence of nature-based solutions on building cooling and heating energy demand: A climate specific review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    11. Bruno, Roberto & Bevilacqua, Piero, 2022. "Heat and mass transfer for the U-value assessment of opaque walls in the Mediterranean climate: Energy implications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PA).
    12. Xu, Fusuo & Zhang, Jianshun & Gao, Zhi, 2024. "A case study of the effect of building surface cool and super cool materials on residential neighbourhood energy consumption in Nanjing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).

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