Home Landscaping:
Energy Efficient
Landscaping
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Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
Janeth Duque
When you landscape carefully, you can save money by increasing
the energy efficiency of your home. This means that you can save
money on heating and cooling costs by carefully planting trees,
shrubs and even some grasses and vines. Landscaping can not only
help decrease the amount of energy you use in both winter and
summer, but can also provide an eye-pleasing surrounding for your
home. This means that you can have an attractive home environment
and save money on energy costs. And that is of interest to just
about everyone.
When you carefully position your trees, you can save money in
both summer and winter. Large deciduous trees are great additions
to any home for this purpose. These trees have large leaves and
create shade during the summer. They block the sun, and this
reduces how much money is needed to cool the home. Vines growing
on the house and shrubs near the home (protecting basement
windows) only help further. Now, here is the great thing about
deciduous trees: they lose their leaves in the fall. This means
that as the leaves fall of during autumn, they let more sunlight
in. This means that natural light and even some warmth from the
sun will filter into your house during the winter, lowering
heating costs. And the best part about these trees is that an
eight foot tall deciduous tree costs about the same amount as a
window awning for one large window. You can have the beauty of
nature protect you and save you money in a way that an awning
very could.
Another reason that landscape design with special attention to
tree placement is a wise choice is the fact that they act as
windbreaks. Without the wind whipping around the house, there is
less energy used for heating. There is not even a need to place
trees all around the house to achieve energy savings in windy
areas. Simply plant trees on the windward side of the house. This
will act as a barrier and can result in you spending a quarter
less for your energy bill if you live in an area with high winds.
In some areas, the savings increased to one third. Fences can
also act as windbreaks, as do some other landscape elements.
The United States Department of Energy estimates that energy
savings due to the proper placement of just three trees can be
between $100 and $250 for the average household. This means that
with a properly designed landscape your initial investment can be
returned in less than eight years. If you are buying a home, it
is a good idea to choose one with energy efficient landscaping.
Then you can experience that savings, and still add other
features to make the landscape your own.
Proper landscaping also results in other benefits that many
people associate with types of conservation. You can reduce air
and noise pollution around your home with landscape. Greenscape
elements actually absorb sound, and so if you have plants around
your house you can actually help block the sound of a nearby
road. Additionally, plants are natural air cleaners. While they
will not completely rid the air of harmful pollutants, they can
create a little pocket of cleaner air around your home, and that
can reduce costs due to respiratory illness.
Energy use related to caring for a landscape can also be reduced
with a carefully planned out landscape. When you have features
that reduce lawn space, you do not have to use as much water to
keep it healthy. Additionally, if you set up an automatic
sprinkler system, you can save money in electricity to run it and
water used by sensibly setting the times for two or three times a
week for fifteen minutes at each station.
Choosing native plants that are appropriate for your climate can
help you save money in caring for the plants and help you save
money in energy costs. Find out what plants are best in your area
for landscaping for energy conservation. Most cities and states
have some sort of office or department that can be contacted for
information on how to design a landscape that saves you money on
your energy bills.
James Wood is a writer for Lawn Mowers
View their website at: http://www.calicon.biz
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