Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, in partnership with the Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance and the Athena Institute, has created the GreenSave Calculator, the first Web-enabled Life-Cycle Cost-Benefit tool that analyzes the short- and long-term costs and benefits of green roofs and conventional roofs.
Designed for professionals such as architects, designers, engineers, developers and building owners, the GreenSave Calculator provides detailed comparisons of up to three different roofing options over the defined lifespan of the project (typically ranging from 25 years to 60 years), to offer a more accurate, comprehensive picture of the long-term impacts of each option. Elements considered include the life-cycle study period, discount rate, general and energy price inflation, investment cost data, residual or resale value, recurring operating and maintenance and replacement costs.
“For years, we’ve been researching the multiple benefits of green roofs. Now for the first time we have a practical tool, the GreenSave Calculator, that can incorporate many of these benefits into the decision making process,” says Steven Peck, president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
Version I of the calculator is available online now, and the Life-Cycle Cost-Benefit Committee will continue to improve the tool over the coming months.
