Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

In recent years, roof-spraying and rooftop lawns has proved effective on roofs with poor thermal insulation. However, roofs of most buildings have insulating material to provide thermal insulation during the winter. The effects of such a practice have not previously been quantified. In this study, the authors conducted measurements of an insulated building to quantify the thermal effects of roof-spraying and rooftop lawns. Roof-spraying did not significantly reduce cooling loads, and required significant amounts of water. The conclusion is that roof spraying is not suitable for buildings with well-insulated roofs. Rooftop lawns, however, significantly stabilized the indoor temperature while additionally helping to mitigate the heat island phenomenon.