Skip to main content

Landscaping for an Energy Efficient Home

There are two main things that will be considered in this article to help you create an energy efficient home through landscaping.

Choosing the correct landscaping can save you money year round. According to the US Department of Energy, a tree planted in the right place can save you up to 25% of the cost of cooling your home. Two or three well placed trees can save the average home $100-$250 per year in energy costs. So, grab your shovel and let’s get started!

Landscaping: Building Shaded Areas

First, consider shading. In the summer a shaded area can be up to nine degrees cooler that a sunny area. You’ve undoubtedly noticed this if you have ever taken a walk in the middle of a hot summer day. As the sweat pours off of your face, you spot a tree ahead. You might walk a little faster. And when you reach it you may even stop for a minute to bask in the cool shade. Then, refreshed, you continue on your way.

Just as the shade is refreshing for you, a wisely placed tree casting shade over your air conditioning unit helps your air conditioner to work more efficiently. In fact, it may run up to 10% more efficiently. In addition, a tree that looses its leaves in the winter will allow the sunlight in to help warm your home. And that means more money in your pocket.

Image courtesy of University Missouri

Hedges and vines can also help to shade your home in the summer. Plant them on the sunny sides of your home to cool the walls from the outside and you’ll need less cooling on the inside. Be sure to use a trellis if you choose to plant vines because climbing vines can damage your walls. For hedges, plan on one foot of space between your wall and the plant when it reaches its full size. This will allow moisture to evaporate instead of collecting around your house’s foundation. An insulating barrier is also created that will help protect from cold in the winter.

Landscaping: Building in Windbreaks

The second consideration is windbreaks. A windbreak will protect your home from chilling winter gusts therefore requiring less energy to heat. Efficient windbreaks extend to the ground and consist of well placed trees and shrubs.

Evergreens are a popular choice to plant along the north and northwest sides of a home. Because of their dense needles the wind is blocked and dense shrubs also protect from drifting snow.

Trees and shrubs planted as windbreaks should be a distance of two to five times the mature height of the plant from the home. The length of your windbreak should ideally be 11 1/2 times greater than the mature width of your plantings.

To ensure winter warmth from the sun, do not plant your windbreak on the south side of your home. You want to soak up as much of that winter sun as you can.

Check out this post to learn more about making your home energy efficient?

Putting it all Together

Ok, put your shovel down for a minute. It’s a good idea to have a base plan before you start digging up your yard. Get some graph paper and make a drawing of your property and any existing features like sidewalks or trees that have already been planted. Put compass directions on your drawing and mark where the sun comes from during different times of the year. You can also note the direction of prevailing winds. Now, put a piece of tracing paper over your drawing and mark where you would like to place new trees, shrubs and vines. Also mark any existing plants that you wish to remove or replace. Have a little fun with your drawing. Use colored pencils and different shapes for different varieties of plants.

Now go to your local nursery and show your drawing to one of the knowledgeable people that work there. Don’t worry; he won’t laugh at your drawing skills (or lack thereof). He can now help you chose the trees and shrubs that are best suited to your needs and the area you live it. He can also help you select drought resistant varieties. This will help you save even more money on your water bill!

A well designed landscape can also protect your home from noise and pollution. You can expect a return on your total investment in less than eight years. And that isn’t counting the value you have just added to your home. So are you ready? Go get that shovel and get started landscaping for an energy efficient home!

The post Landscaping for an Energy Efficient Home appeared first on Downtown Homestead.



from Downtown Homestead http://downtownhomestead.com/landscaping-energy-efficient-home
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Changes Can I Make to My Garden to Be More Natural?

Gardening has changed a bit in recent years as people’s philosophy of gardening is starting to change to go back to more natural and organic methods. For those who have been gardening for a number of years, these new practices might be a bit hard to understand at first since the traditional ways of doing things is adding chemicals to the soil or plants to take care of problems and grow larger plants. Organic methods work a bit differently. Traditional methods use chemical fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil. Organic methods use compost . This is organic matter and carbon matter mixed together. This would be things like fruit peels, vegetables, grass, hay, leaves, and other types of waste mixed together. Over time it breaks down into rich soil that doesn’t need any fertilizer at all. A good compost is natural and doesn’t require extra chemicals. Pest control is a bit more difficult since you don’t want to use chemicals on your plants that end up killing everything. There are a fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Create an Evening Oasis of Bloom and Fragrance

I think it is equally important to turn your outside space into a place to feed your family, but not overlook the chance to escape into it. We have a suburban house, that has a backyard backed up to 5 other yards, so we wanted to create a perfect little oasis for ourselves to escape into. So, we are creating a moonlight garden, to give us a perfect little escape for those late-night bonfires.   Many plants bloom in the evening, particularly in warm climates, and their delicious fragrance can be smelled on the breeze perfuming the whole area. The flowers are usually white or light yellow.   One vine that I especially like is an annual called, appropriately enough, moonflower. It’s in the same family as morning glories and the large white flowers can be up to 6 inches across and very fragrant.   The great thing about this plant is the way it opens its flowers. The large buds look like furled white beach umbrellas. But look again. Did you see the bud move? As the twili...
Post a Comment
Read more

Soil Basics – Creating Fertile, Healthy Soil

Have you ever looked at the soil in your garden and considered it as anything more than dirt? If not you should because there is a lot more there than meets the eye. It performs many functions that you may not be aware of and having good quality soil in your garden is essential for your plants. In this article we will look at the functions of soil, what different types there are and finally some ways to make it healthier. Functions of Soil The most immediately apparent function of soil is a medium to support plant life. It provides support both physically and biologically. Physical support is provided by allowing the plant to grow its roots through the soil to hold itself in place. Biological support is provided by its ability to hold nutrients and water that the plant needs. It also supports other types of life as well. Microorganisms and insects live in the soil and they in turn aid plant life by helping to decay organic material and adding structure to the soil. Soil allows the gr...
Post a Comment
Read more