Energy and Buildings, Vol.145, 226-237, 2017
Temperature and cooling demand reduction by green-roof types in different climates and urban densities: A co-simulation parametric study
This paper presents a parametric study on the effect of four green-roof types on outdoor/indoor temperature and cooling demand under four different climates and three urban densities using co-simulation approach with ENVI-met and EnergyPlus. Results reveal an outdoor nighttime warming effect of not more than 0.2 degrees C which is most obvious with the semi-extensive while the outdoor and indoor cooling effect ranges between 0.05-0.6 degrees C and 0.4-1.4 degrees C, respectively depending on the green-roof type, urban density and time of the day. These daytime temperature reductions also vary per prevailing climates and follow this order: hot-dry, hot (orwarm)-humid, and temperate which can be explained by the interplay between solar intensity/air temperature and relative humidity between the regions. In a hot-humid region, the evaporative cooling potential of greenery is dampened when compared to hot-dry region. This is also true for region with low solar intensity and humidity like the temperate region. In terms of cooling demand reduction, 5.2% was observed in hot-dry climate on the hottest day of the year with full-intensive green-roof while the least saving of 0.1% was found with semi-extensive green-roof in temperate climate. In general, for both outdoor temperature and cooling demand reduction, semi-intensive green-roof was found more effective than its full-extensive counterpart while the higher spatial green roof is most important for indoor temperature reduction irrespective of the leaf density of the greenery. Therefore, the intent of green-roof installation should be a determining factor for the type and spatial extent to be implemented. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.