Save Energy With Landscaping

by Steve Graham for Networx

Most homeowners carefully plan their landscaping for beauty, property value, comfort, and maybe water savings or neighborhood bragging rights. But smart landscaping also helps save on energy bills. On summer days, it feels cooler sitting under a tree or standing in the grass. Also, farmers have used lines of trees as windbreaks for centuries. There are easy ways for homeowners to use the same principles to save energy.

The US Department of Energy estimates trees in the right spots around a home can save energy consumption by up to 25 percent, easily providing a return on most landscaping projects within eight years.

Here are some basic ways to save energy with landscaping. You can cut summer cooling costs, winter heating bills or possibly affect both at the same time. For all of the following landscaping work, work around existing plants. For the most part, larger trees and shrubs are more effective at saving energy. Let them grow. Likewise, think about long-term energy savings and plant slow-growing species that will live longer and withstand harsher conditions.

Saving on Cooling Bills

The biggest factor in summer energy savings is blocking the sun’s heat blasting through windows and raising inside temperatures, boosting air conditioning demand. You can save energy by strategically landscaping your yard.

Hire a landscape designer to help plant trees at the ideal angle to block direct summer sunlight but still allow natural light into the home. Consider large, wide deciduous trees near windows on the south side of the house, and near an air conditioning unit. The trees will block plenty of summer sun, but lose their leaves in the winter and allow passive solar heat. Recommended trees for saving energy include maples, birch, and many oaks.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Lynn C.

8:00PM PST on Jan 18, 2012

Good suggestions. Thank you.

January 18
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Janine H.

1:14AM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

Thank you very much :)

July 29
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Tiffany L.

8:04PM PDT on Jul 21, 2011

thanks :)

July 21
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Deborah C.

5:34AM PDT on Jun 22, 2011

thanks

June 22
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Kat R.

9:07AM PDT on Jun 1, 2011

Thankfully the owner before us planted landscaping in just the right places! Proper shading makes a world of difference.

June 1
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Brenda T.

7:25AM PDT on May 8, 2011

Good advice.

May 8
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Kornel G.

11:21PM PDT on Mar 27, 2011

Great action!! ;)

March 27
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Patricia M.

3:18AM PDT on Mar 27, 2011

Nona E.

6:40AM PDT on Mar 26, 2011

Good suggestions. We just need to be careful to use plants, etc. which don't require great amounts of watering.

March 26
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Past Member .

11:22PM PST on Feb 12, 2011

I don't get the lack of landscaping thing. I see so many new houses sitting on an empty lot with maybe a few bushes. It not only wastes energy but it's an eyesore.

In addition to landscaping with trees I also highly recommend getting a Programmable Thermostat for your home. It's such a simple way to save energy it should be required like smoke detectors.