Who Knew Home Landscaping For Energy Conservation Had This Effect?
Who Knew Home Landscaping For Energy Conservation Had This Effect?
If you have been thinking about how you would like to cut your home energy costs, you might want to take a second look at your home landscaping. This is an area you may not have thought of. Did you know that energy-efficient home landscaping can reduce your household's energy usage for heating and cooling by as much as 25 percent. !That's staggering, isn't it? The proper placement of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges lets you modify the microclimate that surrounds your home to provide shade in the summer and decrease wind chill during the winter. A green and energy-efficient home landscaping is one of the most effective investments you could make, due to its potential to increase the value of resales for your property, it can generate enough savings to return your initial investment within less than eight years. It's not surprising that more homeowners than ever are implementing energy-conserving home landscaping plans on their property. So where can we begin in this thrilling new landscaping project? I hope the following information will be of help to you.
Develop a Home Landscaping Plan for Energy Efficiency
There are countless home landscaping strategies for energy conservation, but not all of them may be appropriate for your property and climate zone. Before you plant those evergreens for your garden, make an evaluation of the energy and comfort issues with your existing home landscaping. Things like the microclimate of your property as well as the location of your home and the presence of surrounding structures will influence the energy efficiency of your home landscaping plan. Microclimate is the environment around your home and, in conjunction with the climate of the region, it helps determine which trees and plants will thrive and provide the best energy-saving benefit to your home landscaping. Your home's location affects your dwelling's exposure to wind, sun and water, consequently shaping your home landscaping needs. Nearby buildings walls, trees, and water bodies can cause significant climatic effects that would influence your home landscaping strategy. A thorough analysis of your property's features enables you to create an efficient and energy-efficient home landscaping scheme that addresses your needs and goals.
Landscape to Maximize Shade
Properly planned home landscaping can reduce your air-conditioning costs in the summer by providing shade from the hot morning and afternoon sun. Deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves in winter) provide shade in the summer when its leaves are at their peak. They also provide warmth to your home during winter, allowing winter sun at a low angle pass through their bare branches. Landscapes that maximize shade can reduce the temperature inside your home by up to eight to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you consider shading your air-conditioner through home landscaping since it increases the unit's efficiency. In addition, shading the ground and pavement by planting trees, shrubs, and groundcover plants lowers temperatures of the air. Other heat-reducing home landscaping ideas include building a trellis for climbing vines to shade patios and creating a line of shrubs to shade the driveway.
Landscaspe for Wind Protection
Home landscaping to divert the flow of cold winds helps cut down your home heating costs in the winter. Trees or shrubs, bushes walls, and fences make effective windbreaks for winter-protected home landscaping. You can achieve adequate wind protection in your home landscaping by planting evergreen trees and shrubs in the north and northwest areas of your property. Windbreaks can slow down the speed of wind for a distance of up to 30 times its height, but maximum wind protection occurs at an distance between two and five times the height of mature windbreaks. To ensure optimal wind protection, ensure that the foliage density on the side facing the wind is at least 60 percent. A well-planned home landscaping provides energy savings all year long. Take advantage of the warmth of the winter sun by avoiding planting evergreens too close to the south part of your website home. The vines, shrubs and bushes planted close to your house can create air pockets which insulate your home in both winter and summer.
I hope this article has been of help to you in establishing landscaping for energy conservation. The idea of reducing my household's energy use by 25% has motivated me to start looking around my yard.