Green Roofs with EPDM Rubber Roofing: Eco-Friendly Options
Green roofs have surged in popularity in recent years, transforming once dull and weathered landscapes into bright and vibrant locations. Green roofing has a host of benefits unrelated to its aesthetic appeal: it is a highly versatile way of benefiting the environment, reducing energy costs, and contributing to an eco-friendly future.
The usage of EPDM as a base for a green roof is a surefire way to ensure that energy and eco benefits are attained.
Where Does EPDM Fit In Green Roofing?
When we talk about green roofing, we’re talking about a contained ecosystem: EPDM makes a fantastic base for a green roof as it helps create a barrier between the roof substrate and the green roof, ensuring that the ecosystem can thrive.
Owing to EPDM’s insulative and weatherproofing properties, the green roof ecosystem can be sustained, with the EPDM not allowing water to seep into the substrate below.
The Environmental Impact of Green Roofs
Green roofs play a pivotal role in reducing CO2, with the system directly benefiting air quality. Alongside this, green roofs also help in reducing the urban heat island effect, where urban areas experience higher temperatures than their rural surroundings due to human activity.
The vegetation created by green roofs absorbs sunlight and provides cooling through evapotranspiration (water being evaporated from the soil).
Stormwater Management
Green roofs significantly improve stormwater management. The vegetation created by the green roof, as well as the soil, acts as a sponge, absorbing and retaining rainwater to await evapotranspiration.
Energy Efficiency
Green roofs provide excellent insulation, complementing the fantastic insulative properties of the EPDM beneath. This works to benefit homeowners all year round by reducing the need for air conditioning in the summer months as the roof repels heat, and heating in winter months, as the roof reduces heat loss due to thermal bridging.
EPDM and Green Roofing: The Perfect Partnership
As mentioned in our previous blog posts explaining EPDM’s energy efficiency, EPDM has amazing insulative and weatherproofing properties, making it a go-to pick for both DIYers and roofers alike.
The coupling of EPDM and a green roof's insulative properties work hand in hand to ensure a further reduction in energy consumption and heat loss.
EPDM is durable enough to withstand roots, fungi, algae, bacteria and microorganisms, ensuring great compatibility with a green roofing system. For those who are extra cautious, a root barrier can also be installed.
Integrating EPDM rubber roofing with a green roofing system creates a synergy that maximises the benefits of both systems. The durability and weatherproofing properties of the EPDM provide a solid foundation for green roofing, and both systems working together ensure long-term protection and energy efficiency.
Conclusion
With the importance of net-zero, and the strategy which has been put in place to achieve this, EPDM coupled with green roofing represents a forward-thinking approach to a sustainable future—creating an aesthetically pleasing, energy-efficient and environmentally beneficial system which lasts over 20 years and ensures a reduction in carbon emissions leading to a cleaner and greener future.
As explained above, EPDM is an excellent choice as a roofing material, especially when coupled with green roofing systems, and our Techno EPDM roofing membrane is no different. We’re proud of our product, and its contribution towards a more sustainable future.
If you’re researching for your next project, we provide installation guides, how-to videos, and our handy EPDM roofing calculator, which will generate a quote based on your project requirements.
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