Reducing Your Energy Bill

One of the aspects of good landscape design is that the landscape should be practical as well as beautiful. Putting the right plants in the right places can produce a nice energy savings to your building whether it be a private residence or a business.

A globe willow shading the back of the residence.

If you live in the northern hemisphere of our earth then your sun will be a southern sun; if you live in the southern hemisphere then the opposite will be true. Planting deciduous trees (trees that loose their leaves in the fall and winter) on your property in the way of the sun will give your building a nice cool shade in the summer but direct sunlight in the winter when the leaves have all fallen off.

To achieve this, northern hemisphere residents should plant their deciduous trees on the south side of their buildings; southern hemisphere residents do the opposite. In the picture to the right, the tree is by the southwest corner of the house, and in the picture below, the trees are on the west. In both cases, the trees are blocking the sun as it moves toward the hottest time of the day.

Trees shading a house in summer can drastically reduce cooling costs.

Planting evergreen trees on the opposite sides of the building (on the north and east for northern hemisphere residents, and south for southern hemisphere residents) can help block cold-weather winds and snow since evergreen trees keep their leaves (needles) and provide a good barrier in winter time (example in the picture below).

Remember that it is never a good idea to plant large trees immediately next to a building so put your larger trees a little further out. You can plant deciduous and evergreen bushes closer to the foundation of your building for the same energy-saving benefits of larger trees, without the risk to your foundation.

Leyland cypress trees creating a hedge.

Note: My wife found a comment in the June 2009 edition of Good Housekeeping, on page 17, which says, “Strategically planted trees around the house can provide shade that reduces air condition bills up to 75% – and can save you as much as $250 in energy costs each year.” – Rachel Rothman, GHRI consumer electronics and engineering test engineer.

Wow, up to 75%!  This principle really does work.

Photo credit: http://www.art-scape-inc.com/