Comparison on energy saving: green roof and green wall

Abstract

Green building conveys undeniably numerous benefits to the environment, social and economic aspects. The most substantial benefit of green building is energy conservation. Green roofs and green walls are amongst the green components that are synonymous with green building. These green components are similar in nature as both are based on the concept of vegetation coverage on buildings. Vegetation is a well-known natural medium that performs the photosynthesis process where it releases molecular oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Many studies have proved that these two green components are efficient in reducing energy consumption of a building. Therefore, this study aims to examine and compare the annual energy savings conveyed by green roofs and green walls on residential buildings in Malaysia. The findings indicated that green walls provide greater annual energy savings than green roofs. The result shows that green walls are able to provide higher annual electricity savings for residential buildings at RM166 compared to green roofs, which provide savings of only RM139.