The energy consumption performance of roof lawn gardens in Thailand

Statistics have confirmed that a lawn placed on a roof top can reduce the cooling load. In this study, the VISUAL DOE 4.0 energy simulation program was used to determine the effects of roof lawn gardens (RLG) on the annual energy required for cooling, and annual electrical usage in an experimental model. The overall heat transfer coefficient (U-Value) of the RLG was estimated by using data from site measurements and the effect of the RLG on the building’s energy consumption was calculated by the simulation program. The effect of different thicknesses of soil was also investigated. From the field measurements, it was confirmed that the RLG could reduce building heat gain. Thus, an experiment was set up to find the energy benefits of the RLG. With evaporative cooling by the RLG, it was found that the consumption of energy in a building with a RLG with 0.20 m of soil was 37.11% less than in a building with a bare roof surface (without evaporative cooling). Moreover, a building with 0.10 m of soil in the RLG consumed 31.07% less energy than a building with a bare roof surface. The results show that an increase in the thickness of the soil layer reduces the building energy consumption.

► The effect of roof mass on energy transfer into the building.
► The effects of the lawn on energy transfer into the building.
► The effects of the grass type on energy transfer into the building.
► The annual energy usage for different types of roof.
► The effects of the roof type on roof temperature of the building.