I recently subscribed to Dave Hilary's course of Green Roof Lessons via his website www.greenroofplan.com and I have to say, I like the way he breaks down the benefits of green roofing into simple, easily understood, bite-sized pieces.

Here's an extract from "Lesson 2, Extensive Green Roofs are an Easy Call"

The cost-benefit analysis is likely to be your driving factor
behind choosing an extensive green roof. The factors to look for
include:

Rooftop replacement
Rooftops have to be replaced frequently due to the impact of
sunlight, especially ultraviolet (UV) rays. That's right, the same
wavelengths of light energy from the sun that cause skin cancer
also cause your rooftop's underlying material to break down.

Heating costs
A green roof is likely to cut your heating costs by helping to
retain natural heat, plus the heat that you pay big bucks to bring
into your home. The green roof is like a hat on a bald head - it
retains warmth, cutting your costs.

Cooling costs
With a green roof, your house never heats up so much when the sun
beats down on it. This reduces not only the cost of running your
air conditioner, it reduces roof replacement costs by lowering peak
high temperatures.

An extensive green roof keeps you off the peaks, and therefore is
likely to save you money. It also features lower costs for
structural strengthening, setup, and maintenance. You can always do
more later if you decide to do so, but an extensive green roof is a
worthy starting point - and perhaps ending point - on your
adventure.

All of these points and more are covered in Dave's e-book which is downloadable from his web site and they're also incorporated into Enviromat's Green Roof Information Days.

The next Green Roof Information Days are on 23rd November 2010 at The Berkshire College of Agriculture and again on 1st December 2010 in Hockwold, Norfolk. There's no charge for either of these events, but places are limited so if you fancy coming along, please let me know so that I can reserve a place for you. E-mail me on sales@qlawns.co.uk or phone 01842 828266 - hope you can make it........