Abstract

Roofs have been recognized as a potential area for intervention to achieve energy savings in buildings and enhance indoor comfort. In this context, green and cool roofs emerged as promising and attractive solutions for sustainable construction, offering various advantages, particularly in terms of the building’s energy efficiency. However, their energy performance is closely tied to the local climatic conditions. This study presents a comparative analysis of the thermal and energy performance of four types of roofs − a green roof with sedum vegetation, a green roof with grass vegetation, a white painted roof, and a gravel-covered roof − under the temperate climate conditions of Poitiers, France. This comparative investigation helps to recommend optimal construction solutions tailored for temperate climates. Initially, in-situ measurements are conducted on two residential buildings equipped with these roof types. The experimental campaign involves monitoring weather conditions, roof surface temperatures, heat flux, and moisture content within the substrate layers of the green roofs. Subsequently, the TRNSYS software is employed to evaluate the heating, cooling, and total energy consumption of the investigated roof scenarios. The experiment results demonstrate that, in comparison to non-vegetated roofs, green roofs could maintain moderated outer surface temperatures. In summer, they effectively limit the entry of heat waves into the building, reducing heat flow by 52% for sedum and 71% for grass compared to the gravel roof. Furthermore, simulation results revealed that the grass green roof is the most effective solution for passive cooling, achieving energy reductions of 81 to 93% compared to other investigated roof types. Meanwhile, sedum vegetation emerges as the optimal choice for reducing total energy consumption, with reductions of up to 12% compared to the other roof type.

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