Monitoring the temperature of the green roof UA-001-08

We hear a lot these days about how to structure our environment more responsibly and efficiently, but how do we ensure that the money, effort, and professional advice put into a product or project is actually repaid?

That's what ASLA (USA) wanted to know when it installed a demonstration green roof at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Green roofs are soil and plant-covered roofs, made of waterproof membranes and supporting and drainage structures. Such roofs are usually one of two types. An extensive green roof is over six inches or less of soil, planted with shallow roots, and life. A dense roof, on the other hand, has six inches two feet of soil, and supports larger plants, shrubs, and even trees.

American green roof design, Michael Van Associates Inc.) These two types are combined to create a multi-level roof garden. Innovative metal-grated walking areas with slopes for structural integrity, shrubs and suspension low vegetation cover.

However, green roofs are more than just eye-catching. Green roofs are an insulating element that mitigates the urban heat island effect, aids in stormwater management, and reduces energy use in buildings, among other benefits. Because a major goal of using green roofs is for demonstration purposes, the US wants hard data on performance.

This is the battery powered data logger. Keith Swan works in the US, where his job is to monitor roof temperatures. The heat island effect typically occurs when asphalt roofs and pavements absorb solar radiation, increasing the average temperature above them and, in turn, throughout the city. In contrast, green roofs absorb solar radiation and cool temperatures because evapotranspiration shades plants, soil and moisture.

Green roofs in the US were installed in April 2006, and in July, the battery temperature data loggers from ® began to be deployed. The loggers, known as HOBO® Pendant loggers UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08, are capable of monitoring and logging temperature day and night at user-defined intervals up to a Year. With a C-cell sized battery, the loggers are enclosed in a tough plastic case that keeps them dry and clean in rough outdoor or indoor conditions.

Pendant loggers UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08 monitor temperature three-point green roof: planting slope, on metal grating, on stairs. Additionally, Pendant Recorders UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08 are located nearby on traditional black tar and black non-tar roofs.

"We found that the Pendant loggers UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08 are easier to use than the temperature monitors we used before," Swan said. "Their portability is great for the location. We visit other buildings with the help of staff, and Pendant Recorders UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08 People can't detect that they're on the roof, and that's a benefit to us."

The Swan logger's software, using HOBOware, sets the logger to store readings every two hours. While it was time to download the data, he simply grabbed a laptop and climbed onto the roof. Connect the Optic base station to the USB port of the laptop and download Pendant loggers UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08 in less than half a minute from each, compared with Swann HOBOware Data from all sites using one graph. He praised the simple data collection process. "It's the ease of use that makes them so popular with organizations, and we're delighted to be able to bring data so easily."

Data showed that from July 2006 to May 2007, during peak daily temperatures, green roofs were as much as 32°F warmer than surrounding roofs. "The difference in temperature between the green roof and the neighboring roof is enough to show its great insulating properties," explains Swan. "But that's not all. We also looked back at previous electricity usage to determine if there were any savings from installing the green roof. Using the before and after data, we determined a 10% savings in electricity usage for the first quarter of 2007. "

Cooling and insulating effects are only expected to increase plant growth, and, thanks to Pendant loggers UA-002-64, UA-002-08, UA-001-64, UA-001-08, Swan, the United States will be able to show, almost A daily stream of visitors to the green roof is, in fact, working.