Con Edison Installs Its First Green Roof

August 28, 2008 – Con Edison’s first “green roof,” a new energy-saving plant system, is growing on the company’s three-story Learning Center training and conference facility in Long Island City. Con Edison expects the green roof to improve air quality and to conserve energy by reducing the amount of heat absorbed by conventional roofs.

More than 21,000 plants occupy more than a quarter acre of the Learning Center’s roof top. The plants absorb heat, keeping the building cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning.  The roof is projected to save up to 30 percent of the Learning Center’s peak-cooling costs.

The green roof demonstration, a collaborative effort with Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research, will evaluate the benefits of the green roof and measure energy savings, roof surface temperatures, and air quality improvements. Columbia University scientists will analyze the results.

The green roof also benefits the environment by absorbing and retaining rainwater from heavy rains, known as storm water runoff. Storm water runoff can overwhelm the city’s sewer system and potentially cause untreated sewage to overflow into local waterways. The company anticipates the green roof will retain 30 percent to 70 percent of storm water runoff, releasing water slowly into the drainage system.

Though it is the first of its kind at a Con Edison facility, this is not the company’s first experience with green roofs. In 2004, a company research and development team helped create a green roof at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City and helped raise funds for its installation. Con Edison also backed an educational project comparing “green” and “cool” roofs on the American Banknote Building in the South Bronx for Sustainable South Bronx.