A review of energy aspects of green roofs

Global warming, depletion of natural resources, acid rains, air and water pollutions, and ozone depletions are some of the environmental consequences that are deemed attributable to human activities on planet earth. Sustainable practices have been therefore evolved as main remedies to tackles these issues. Green roof strategy is one of these practices that not only provides heat island amelioration and thermal comfort for occupants but also reduces energy consumption of buildings as well as add aesthetic values to the environment. This paper targets to run a review on the application of green roof strategy. The review scans a time frame from 2002 through early 2012 with a focus on energy related topics on energy related topics of green roofs. The review discussed various types of green roofs, components of a green roof, economic revenues, and technical attributes. Many general advantages and few general disadvantages of green roofs in one hand and pros and cons of green roofs with respect to energy utilization on the other hand are also synthesized. Some recommendations for future study are also proposed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.