Active green roof at home,
Granada
In a house in Granada we installed a green roof in order to establish a natural cooling system more efficient and less harmful than the conventional use of air conditioning. This type of cover works by increasing the amount of water in the irrigation system, which in turn increases evaporation and results in environmental cooling. At first glance, it may seem that this system involves a waste of water; however, when compared to the energy cost of air conditioning, the use of water for cooling proves to be a much more economical option. Using electricity for cooling is approximately six times more expensive than using water.
Since its installation, the client has confirmed the effectiveness of the green roof, indicating that he has not needed to use air conditioning again. This testimony raises a relevant question: Isn’t the installation of active green roofs worth considering as a sustainable and economical alternative for residential cooling?
The installation of this active green roof in Granada was carried out in a private home.
To begin installing an active green roof, the first thing to do is to waterproof it. To do so, we place an EPDM sheet as it has anti-rooting properties and therefore has greater durability, with a guaranteed durability of more than 20 years.
EPDM sheet installation
After the EPDM sheet, special rock wool plates for cultivation were placed, which ensured aeration of the roots.
Rock wool installation
The substrate of the active vegetation cover will be permanently humid in summer at high temperatures, which can generate problems of fungi and diseases, for this reason it is best to use inert substrates with high aeration such as rock wool.
Active canopy vegetation in Granada
As for the vegetation, we have chosen plants that have a much higher evaporation capacity, so that the canopy is much more efficient. Sedum is a clear example of this.
Sedum is a native perennial plant that is very resistant to both cold and heat, which is why it is ideal for this place.
Installation of vegetation
Active vegetation cover irrigation system in Granada
Finally, the irrigation system was installed. Several lines with very low flow drippers were installed, which irrigated many times for a short period of time. The low irrigation is intended to keep the canopy moist without causing puddling or excess water loss through runoff.
Installation of irrigation lines
The purpose of this type of covers is to achieve an active cooling system in homes and eliminate the use of air conditioning that can be so annoying and harmful. With this type of roofs the first thing to think about is to increase the amount of water that comes out of the irrigation system and thus increase evaporation and therefore a cooling of the environment is achieved. With this you might think that water is wasted, but the truth is that if we compare it with the cost of cooling the house with air conditioning, it is much more economical to do it through irrigation because cooling with electricity is almost 6 times more expensive than spending water.
The client has confirmed that this type of covers are effective because since we installed it he has told us that he has not put the air conditioning again.
So we ask you this question: Don’t you think it is worth installing active green roofs?