LANDSCAPING CAN REDUCE YOUR

ENERGY BILLS

Why not benefit from one of the ‘hidden’ advantages of landscaping this summer? While everyone knows landscaping can make your yard more beautiful, few realize that it can reduce summer cooling bills by as much as 50%.

Creating an energy-saving landscape doesn’t require exotic materials - just trees, vines or shrubs, says the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN). With proper placement of vegetation, you can reduce your energy bills by reducing the temperature fluctuations in your home.

 

Trees

Beating the blistering heat of a summer day is as easy as planting trees to provide shade. According to AAN, planting trees to shade the roof, walls and windows of your home in the summer can reduce your cooling bills by as much as 50 percent. Shading even 20 percent of the roof for an entire day will reduce your energy costs.

The amount of shade you can provide with a tree depends largely upon the type of tree you plant, explains ANN. Deciduous trees are always a good bet, as they do double duty, cooling your house in the summer and warming it in the winter.

In the summer, deciduous trees block the sun with their leafy limbs, cooling anything underneath with their plentiful shade. In the winter, deciduous trees allow the sun to shine through their bare branches, providing warming sunlight for your home. For the best results, locate deciduous trees on the southern and western sides of your home.

When planting for shade around your home in the summer, don’t forget to provide a cool place for your air conditioning unit.

According to AAN, shading an air conditioning unit can lengthen the life of compressor. The shade eases the strain that the unit can experience from operating for hours on end in intense heat. One way to provide shade for an air conditioner is to plant a flowering tree or shrub near the unit, says AAN. Just be sure not to block good air circulation.

Another option might be to build a trellis near the unit. Place the trellis two or three feet away from the air conditioner to allow access to the unit and space for the air intakes.

 

Vines

Vines are another natural way to reduce your energy bills. During the summer, vines can provide direct shade on the walls of your house. This keeps the surface temperatures down and reduces the amount of heat conducted into your home. The result is a more comfortable and livable environment.

For those eager gardeners who want to start saving money on their energy bills right away, vines provide quick-growing shade. In roughly five years, certain vines can grow large enough to shade most of your home. In addition, vines are a good alternative for those homes with limited ground space.

Like deciduous trees, deciduous vines are a good choice. They can be trained to grow up a trellis, an arbor or a porch during spring and summer, cooling your home. During the winter, these vines can be trimmed back to let in extra sunlight, AAN says.

When using vines in your energy-saving landscape, check with the specialists at your local garden center to see what types of vines to look for and what types of vines to avoid. Keep in mind that not all vines are a good choice for landscaping, as some may damage paint, wood, brick or shingles by retaining moisture.

 

Shrubs

Shrubs are another easy way to take advantage of the hidden benefits of landscaping. Shrubs can be planted to form a living fence between the sun and your house, suggests AAN. Evergreen shrubs can also be placed on the north and west sides of your home to block winter winds.

Shrubs can shade the architectural features that are prone to heat transfer during the summer, such as sliding glass patio doors and windows. Shrubs planted primarily for their shade-giving properties should be tall enough to block the late afternoon sun. For most homes, shrubs should be six to eight feet tall.

For summer living like you’ve never had before, check out the wide variety of trees, vines and shrubs at your local garden center. Start your energy-saving landscape today!

<- Back to Tips & Info