The New York Times featured a story today on the energy benefits of white roofs. The article speaks to the savings that white roofs produce in hot climates, while acknowledging that they are not a panacea; in cities like Minneapolis and Detroit, scientists suggest that white roofs can actually lead to increased energy bills since they reflect light (and heat) during cold winter months.
While I can't refute evidence on the suitability of white roofs in northern climes, I certainly can speak to the benefit of green roofs. The beauty of the green roof is that it buffers temperature extremes, whether hot or cold. If you're skeptical, plug "green roof energy savings" into Google Scholar and see what comes up. (Start with these: "Analysis of the green roof thermal properties and investigation of its energy performance" by Niachou et al. and "The effects of rooftop garden on energy consumption of a commercial building in Singapore" by Wong et al.).
I'm not sure why the author didn't think it appropriate to include green roof information in the article, but I sure wish that there were a comment section on this one...
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