 Landscaping
for energy efficiency
This fact sheet will give you some landscaping tips
that will help you save energy and money year-round, including climate
and site considerations, design and planning, and tree and shrub
selection.
Are you looking for cost-effective yet eye-pleasing ways to lower
your energy bills? Planting trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges
could be the answer. In fact, landscaping may be your best long-term
investment for reducing heating and cooling costs, while also bringing
other improvements to your community.
A well-designed landscape will:
- Cut your summer and winter energy costs dramatically.
- Protect your home from winter wind and summer sun.
- Reduce consumption of water, pesticides, and fuel for
landscaping and lawn maintenance.
- Help control noise and air pollution.
Landscaping Saves Money Year-Round
Carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of a household's energy
consumption for heating and cooling. Computer models devised by the U.S.
Department of Energy predict that the proper placement of only three
trees will save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy
costs annually.
On average, a well-designed landscape provides enough energy savings
to return your initial investment in less than 8 years. An 8-foot
(2.4-meter) deciduous (leaf-shedding) tree, for example, costs about as
much as an awning for one large window and can ultimately save your
household hundreds of dollars in reduced cooling costs, yet still admit
some winter sunshine to reduce heating and lighting costs. Landscaping
can save you money in summer or winter.
Summer
You may have noticed the coolness of parks and wooded areas compared to
the temperature of nearby city streets. Shading and evapotranspiration
(the process by which a plant actively moves and releases water vapor)
from trees can reduce surrounding air temperatures as much as 9 degrees
F (5 degrees C). Because cool air settles near the ground, air
temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees F (14
degrees C) cooler than air temperatures above nearby blacktop. Studies
by the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory found summer daytime air
temperatures to be 3 degrees F to 6 degrees F (2 degrees C to 3 degrees
C) cooler in tree- shaded neighborhoods than in treeless areas.
A well-planned landscape can reduce an unshaded home's summer
air-conditioning costs by 15% to 50%. One Pennsylvania study reported
air-conditioning savings of as much as 75% for small mobile homes.
Winter
You may be familiar with wind chill. If the outside temperature is 10
degrees F (-12 degrees C) and the wind speed is 20 miles per hour (32
kilometers per hour), the wind chill is -24 degrees F (-31 degrees C).
Trees, fences, or geographical features can be used as windbreaks to
shield your house from the wind.
A study in South Dakota found that windbreaks to the north, west, and
east of houses cut fuel consumption by an average of 40%. Houses with
windbreaks placed only on the windward side (the side from which the
wind is coming) averaged 25% less fuel consumption than similar but
unprotected homes. If you live in a windy climate, your well-planned
landscape can reduce your winter heating bills by approximately
one-third.
Landscaping for a Cleaner Environment
Climate, Site, and Design Considerations
NOTICE
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employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal
liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or
usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed,
or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.
Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service
by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not
necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or
favoring by Moods Outdoor Lighting.com. The views and opinions of
authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of
Moods Outdoor Lighting.com.
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