DC Offers Rebates on Green Roof Installation

With a new fiscal year's funding to distribute, the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) wants residents in Georgetown and Glover Park to consider taking advantage of the $5 per-square-foot DC Green Roof Rebate Program.

"One of the primary environmental benefits of a green roof is stormwater retention as green roofs retain and filter significant amounts of stormwater while traditional roofs do little - which often accumulates in streets, causing floods and carrying trash and pollutants into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers," Michael Lucy, a senior consultant with AWS, told Patch in an email.

The AWS serves as a paperwork clearinghouse of sorts for the District Department of the Environment's rebate program; applications go through the non-profit.

The most common type are "extensive" roofs, which are composed of a drainage layer, a root barrier, three to four inches of growing media and plantings of low-growing "sedums," according to the DDOE website.

Funds are available on a first come - first served basis, regardless of the building use, total area, or cost of installation. On average, green roofs range from $10-$30 per square foot. "There is no cap for either the size or funding amount for the green roof rebate program," wrote Lucy.

Between 2008 and 2012, the rebate program supported the installation of 220,000 square feet of new green roofs throughout the city.

Nearby roofs funded through the rebate program include:

• American University (Kogod School of Business, Mary Graydon Center and Ward Circle Building)
• 3511 Idaho Ave NW
• 2724 Chain Bridge Rd NW
• 801 17th St NW
• 1 Scott Circle NW
• 1200 19th St NW
• 1771 Church St NW
• 929 S St NW
• 2160 California St NW
• 5255 Loughboro Rd NW (Sibley Memorial Hospital)
• 1818 N St NW
• 1900 Pennsylvania Ave NW (IMF)

General questions about the program can be directed to greenroofs@anacostiaws.org or (202) 557-5814. Applications are available online. If you'd like to learn more, or register your project, you may visit: www.anacostaws.org.

Editor's Note: Based on statements on the DDOE website this article originally reported that new construction roofs are capped at 5,000 square feet worth of rebates and all projects are capped at $20,000. Mike Lucy from AWS informed Patch that the DDOE website was incorrect and the article has been updated to correct those inaccuracies.