Sustainable Insights  RSS  Facebook  Twitter  Podcast  Podcast

Welcome to Sustainable Insights. This blog is a source of news and information on two of our favorite topics - data loggers and sustainability - and offers a glimpse into some real-world environmental monitoring projects happening around the globe.


December 10, 2009

Miami Science Museum Green Roof Monitoring

Category: Green Building, Green News, Green Roof – Onset Blog Admin – 9:34 am

podcast-logo New Podcast – Listen as Larry Lesser of Rana Creek Living Architecture explain how HOBO data loggers are being used to monitor different types of green roof designs at the Miami Museum of Science. The data will provide valuable information about which design would work best in South Florida’s subtropical climate.

Subscribe to Onset Podcasts RSS or Visit us on iTunes iTunes

July 18, 2008

Monitoring Conditions on a Green Roof

Category: Building Monitoring, Building Performance, Green Roof – Onset Blog Admin – 3:54 pm

In the world of sustainable building, green roofs are becoming more popular in new construction and renovation projects. The investment in covering a roof with soil and plants can pay off through mitigating storm water runoff, lessening the heat island effect, and offsetting interior heating and cooling costs.

Nicole Goldman, owner of ‘g’ Green Design Center, a Massachusetts-based company specializing in green building materials, recently installed an experimental green roof on her home located in Woods Hole, MA. Goldman’s green roof is covered with a layer of synthetic and natural drainage layers, soil, and a variety of low-maintenance plants.

To monitor conditions on her green roof, Goldman uses Onset’s HOBO U30/GSM Remote Monitoring System to track air temperature, humidity and soil moisture. When the water content in the soil drops below a specific level, the system sends an alarm notification to activate an irrigation system. Additionally, the data that the logger provides helps Goldman identify which plants thrive under what conditions.
Live data from Goldman’s green roof can be accessed here.