Based on the increasing demand for a solution to reduce thermal load, extensive green roofs have great opportunity for application to existing roofs due to their light-weight and easy maintenance. The present study delivers data regarding thermal behavior and heat reduction potential in relation to vegetation coverage between green roof types. 1) In the hottest hour in a day, green roofs showed considerable potential to mitigate heat load in roof environments, which can be up to $10^{circ}C$ difference. 2) Compared to conventional cement roofs, the extensive green roofs only have a slight potential to cool the air over green roofs. By statistical analysis of linear regression, green coverage has little to do with the reduction of air temperature; the cooling effect was proven only in nighttime. 3) Green roofs act as an insulating roof membrane, the inner substrate of green roofs remained cooler than cement roof surfaces in the daytime, but in the nighttime the green roofs generally were warmer than the cement roof surfaces. 4) The variable of vegetation coverage resulted in no significant difference in thermal behavior in the air, but had the greatest effect in keeping the substrate cool in the daytime. The high vegetation coverage also hindered the rapid cooling of the substrate in the nighttime, and therefore was warmer than other measured temperatures. In order to draw a clear conclusion to combat urban heat island effect with extensive green roofs, the experiment needs to be applied on a larger scale.