Fix Your Property with Landscape Design

[missmanors]

If you focus on the power of the sun, or shading your home from its rays, you can effectively cut the amount of energy you use to either cool or heat your home. This may take a little time and research on your part, to make the most of different plantings in your yard, but will be beneficial in lowering energy costs for many years to come.

The goal is to shield your home from the intense heat of the sun in the summer, while letting the suns rays shine through your windows and onto your home's walls during the winter months.

You can gather information on the correct placement of different plantings by tracking the sun and prevailing winds around your home throughout the year, this will allow you to make a good decision on whether you may need a wind-break or what plants would be the most valuable in helping you to keep the sun and the wind away from costing you more cash during the cooling and heating seasons in your area.

Trees: A properly planted tree, 20-25 feet from your home and 25 feet from each other, can conserve energy, cut energy costs and provide comfort. A properly placed tree can reduce your summer cooling bills by 25%, by shading your home from the hot sun. Plant your choice of shade tree on the south and southwest portions of your yard to effectively shade your home during the hottest time of day.

Your shade trees should be planted to shade your walls as well as a portion of your roof. Most of the cool air that is lost from your home, is lost through the windows and walls.

It is also profitable for you to shade your heat pump or air conditioning unit from the sun. Shading an air-conditioner unit can give longer life to the compressor by lessening the strain. A shaded heat pump can save you up to 3% on energy. Check the owner's manual for your particular unit to be sure that plants are far enough away to provide good ventilation.

You can also benefit from vines which are trained on trellises to help to shade your home, while your trees are too small to provide shade. Vines grow much more quickly and though they will not provide the shade that the trees will, they will be of some benefit. Be sure not to choose an evergreen variety that will not allow the sun to warm the home in the winter months.

Evergreens can be used as insulation if planted densely as they can create a dead-air zone adjacent to the outside walls of your home. This can reduce the amount of cold air going through your walls. These shrubs should be planted on the north and northwest walls of your home, as this is usually the direction the coldest air comes from. These shrubs can also be beneficial in keeping cool air from escaping those walls during the summer months, and warm air from escaping during the winter.