# Green roof, green walls for cooler house?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-roof-green-walls-for-cooler-house/248558>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 4, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-roof-green-walls-for-cooler-house/248558 "2004-06-04T01:30:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chotii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Chotii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chotii)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-roof-green-walls-for-cooler-house/248558/1 "2004-06-04T01:30:44Z")

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The west side of my house faces the summer sun all afternoon, and my house turns into a blast furnace every afternoon. We’ve put up one of those mesh 4-pole shelters over the porch in back, with wide roman blinds which can be lowered/rolled down, and it does at least keep the direct sun off the concrete , and off the screen door, but it doesn’t and can’t reach high up the wall.

I’ve heard that growing greenery on a roof lowers the temperature of the building. May I assume that growing greenery on exterior walls would also do the same? If so, what would be the best type of vines to grow, and more important, how would I best protect the exterior of my house while still growing the vines? I know those bloody things dig their tendrils into stone and damage it over time. And the siding of my house is wood.