We all know that trees may improve the appearance of a yard, attract beneficial animals, and give privacy from neighbors. What many homeowners might not aware is that trees can also assist lower home energy expenditures. Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and other harmful particles in the air, storing the carbon and releasing clean oxygen through photosynthesis. In addition to creating oxygen and keeping the air clean, having a lot of shade tree landscaping in your yard may help you save money on your energy bill by allowing you to avoid using air conditioning.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a non-profit organization that plants trees and teaches people all around the world on how trees benefit our climate and environment. It contains a wealth of information regarding how trees providing shade, in particular, contribute to the environment. Here are just a few of the numerous ways that shade tree landscaping may benefit both residential energy saving and the environment as a whole.
A young, healthy tree has the net cooling impact of ten room-sized air conditioners running 20 hours a day.
If you plant a big shade tree on the west side of your house today, you should save 3% on your energy expenditures in five years. The savings will be about 12% after 15 years.
One acre of woodland absorbs six tons of CO2 and emits four tons of oxygen. This amount is sufficient to cover the yearly needs of 18 persons.
There are approximately 60-200 million tree-planting opportunities along America's metropolitan roadways. This corresponds to an additional 33 million tons of CO2 absorption per year and a $4 billion savings in energy expenses.
Trees strategically put around a structure may lower air conditioning expenses by 30% and save 20-50% on heating energy.
Tree planting improves water quality, resulting in reduced runoff and erosion. This provides for increased recharge of the groundwater supply.
Wooded regions aid in the prevention of silt and chemical movement into streams.
Deciduous trees placed on the correct sides of your land can help keep your house cool in the summer, resulting in a decreased air conditioning expense. They also let the sun to provide passive heating in the winter, which helps to reduce heating energy expenses.
Three trees strategically put around a house can lower energy use by up to 30%.
There's even shade gardening for air conditioners. When sheltered by big shade trees or bushes, the units will cool buildings more efficiently and consume less power, allowing you to save money on air conditioning.
Neighborhoods with well-shaded roadways might be up to 6-10°F colder than neighborhoods with few trees providing shade.
Deciduous trees placed on the correct sides of your land can help keep your house cool in the summer, resulting in a decreased air conditioning expense. They also let the sun to provide passive heating in the winter, which helps to reduce heating energy expenses.
Three trees strategically put around a house can lower energy use by up to 30%.
There's even shade gardening for air conditioners. When sheltered by big shade trees or bushes, the units will cool buildings more efficiently and consume less power, allowing you to save money on air conditioning.
Neighborhoods with well-shaded roadways might be up to 6-10°F colder than neighborhoods with few trees providing shade.
A mature tree may typically be evaluated for between $1,000 and $10,000.
According to one survey, 83% of realtors feel mature trees have a "strong or moderate influence" on the marketability of properties priced under $150,000; for homes priced over $250,000, this opinion rises to 98%.
Landscaping, particularly with trees, may enhance property values by up to 20%.
Healthy, mature trees increase the value of a property by 10% on average. The 60 million street trees in the United States have an average worth of $525 per tree.
Trees may boost economic growth by attracting new businesses and tourists. Shoppers like commercial retail locations, apartments rent faster, residents stay longer, and land in a forest environment is more desirable to sell or rent.
How to plan your shade tree landscaping to reduce your energy bill
The Arbor Day Foundation provides a tree benefits calculator that will help you find out how your trees are already saving you money. A six-inch-circumference Kousa Dogwood, for example, delivers $34 in yearly benefits. When the tree develops to 11 inches in circumference, that cost might rise to $55 each year. To minimize air conditioning expenditures, the Arbor Day Foundation provides the following tips:
Plant shade trees near your air conditioner to keep it cooler and save money on air conditioning expenditures. According to the US Department of Energy, a unit working in the shade consumes up to 10% less power than one operating in the sun.
Consider planting trees near patios, walkways, and driveways to provide shade. This has the potential to chill the concrete, the entire yard, and possibly the neighborhood.
Planting large deciduous trees on the east, west, and northwest sides of your home for shade can provide shelter from the hot summer heat and save air conditioning expenditures by up to 35%.
The Arbor Day Foundation offers these shade landscaping tips to help reduce energy costs in the colder months.
Plant a row of fir trees on the north and northwest sides of your land to form a windbreak. This can help you save up to 30% on your heating expenditures.
The optimum wind protection comes when the windbreak is no more than one or two tree heights from the house.
Because the majority of snow collects on the downwind side of trees, plant your windbreak one or two tree heights away from your rooftop and driveway for the most efficient home energy saving.
In the winter, the sun sets lower on the southern horizon. Planting evergreen trees on the south side of your house should be avoided so that they do not obscure the winter sun.
When it comes to shade tree landscaping, not all trees are made equal. Some people grow faster than others. It's pointless to choose big shade trees to assist cut your energy cost if it will take them 40 years to reach the height required to save money. Choosing the proper height tree for the job also crucial in order to perhaps cut air cooling expenses or provide a robust winter windbreak to assist reduce your energy bill. If you don't know where to start, the Arbor Day Foundation provides a tool called the Tree Wizard.
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