Landscaping for Energy Conservation

It’s been in my lifetime that appliances started coming out with EER ratings. This is the Energy Efficient Rating from A through G and usually has an associated number like 10.4. Each appliance in your home including major heating and air-conditioning systems probably has these in bright yellow and easy to read. What about the landscape, what energy-efficient rating would it get? 

Temperatures are fairly moderate now across the country as are utility bills. Polar Vortex rumors were flying fast the past couple of weeks, but we all know what is ahead for the summer. We can take decisive action this spring which will pay great dividends in subsequent years.

Proper landscaping is often overlooked when one thinks of energy conservation. Our landscapes can provide us with energy savings while offering an aesthetically pleasing view of our homes. Trees and shrubs help settle out, trap and hold particulate pollutants that can be harmful to humans. They also release oxygen for us to breathe. Besides that, a well-landscaped property is more desirable than one with no landscape and surveys show they add value at the time of sale.

Properly placed trees alone can reduce our air conditioning needs by up to 30 percent, reducing the amount of electricity required to cool our homes. We can also reduce our heating bills in the winter. Today, neighborhood after neighborhood is being built where all trees are being bulldozed. The homes are incredibly beautiful, but the landscape is a clean slate, or in many cases, they receive a bare FHA minimum in trees and shrubs. 

An energy-efficient home landscape doesn't just happen by planting. Before installation, one must understand the position of the sun during the seasons as well as the plants' characteristics. In mid-December the sun rises in the southeast and stays relatively low before setting in the southwest. In June the sun rises in the northeast and stays high during the day before setting in the northwest. These angles greatly influence the amount of sun that strikes the house.

To plan for shade from the hot summer sun, consider that trees on the east and northeast provide morning shade in the summer. Trees placed on the west and northwest exposures of the house provide shade during summer afternoons. We can also reduce heat absorption by having shrubs or vines cover the east or west walls. Vines may be allowed to grow on masonry, brick, or concrete. Vines growing on a trellis would be the ideal situation for a wood exterior home.

We can also plan to allow the warm sun to hit our home during the winter. The most important factor to consider is placing deciduous trees on the south side of the house. A deciduous tree loses its leaves, allowing the sun to warm the house. 

Evergreens like the holly, juniper, arborvitae and Chamaecyparis or false cypress also play a vital role in the winter landscape. Placed on the north or northwest side of the house, these evergreens not only look pretty and serve as the bones of the landscape but block the prevailing winds of the cold blue norther. They will block the wind to a distance twice their height.

The prevailing wind during the summer comes from the Gulf of Mexico. To take advantage of these cooling breezes, we must not plant ‘thick screens’ on the southwest or south side of the property. By pruning tall deciduous trees to a height equal to the roof drip line we can direct those breezes into the house.

It will soon be the time of the year when your garden center has the best selection of healthy, fresh, container-grown trees and shrubs. Planting this spring may not directly influence this year's utility bills, but certainly will in the future. It will also add dollars to the value of your home.

Remember that newly planted landscape trees and shrubs will grow and mature to much larger heights and widths. Be sure to place them according to the mature size which you expect. Follow me on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration. A well-planned landscape can be beautiful, energy efficient and add value to your home at the time of sale.

This shady-like forest is on the north side offering home protection from winter winds, it is comprised of both evergreens and deciduous trees. In the summer the amount of light is perfect for almost any type of plant or flower along the wall and those that are shade lovers further back.

The trees have been limbed up above the drip line of the home allowing for cool summer breezes but also maximum enjoyment from the colorful bark.

The deciduous trees in the distance show great fall color now but will soon lose their leaves allowing the warm winter sun to reach the home.

This is the time to reduce the height and width of evergreen shrubs and even do a rejuvenation pruning if needed.