Regional Climate and Microclimate
When considering how to improve home energy efficiency through landscaping, the first thing to take into account is your regional and local climate. Four regions occur in the United States: temperate, hot-humid, hot-arid, and cool:
The second factor affecting the climate surrounding your home is microclimate.
Many things can affect the local climate, but some common factors include sunny south-facing slopes, large bodies of water, large natural shading obstacles like canyons or mountains, and large valleys. These features immediately surrounding your home can alter the climate considerations when considering plant selection and location. For instance, a home on a sunny southern slope in a cool regional climate may be much warmer than average for that region. Carefully consider such factors when planning your landscaping features.
Shading and Windbreaks
The two most important things trees and shrubs can do for your home energy efficiency are shading your home from heat and shielding it from wind. Depending on your region and microclimate, you may want to maximize one or the other or both.
In general, landscapes in hot climates should use large shade trees for roofs and windows and shrubs or vines for walls, sidewalks, and foundations. If the home is primarily air conditioned, windbreaks for hot summer breezes will also help your energy efficiency. Also make sure you shade your air conditioning unit, which can improve its efficiency by up to 10 percent. If the home is naturally cooled, windbreaks should be eliminated to allow breezes into the house. Leave at least a foot of space between all shrubs and vines and the walls of your house to encourage water evaporation.
For temperate and cool regions, solar heat is an important factor when locating trees around your home. In general, leave the south and west windows exposed to the sun to maximize solar heat. Alternatively, use deciduous (leaf-bearing) trees to shade your home in summer but still allow solar heating in winter when the leaves have fallen. For west windows, you may want to use low-crown (shorter) tree species to block late summer sun as opposed to taller trees.
In general, it is best to use evergreen trees for windbreaks since they are denser than deciduous trees, especially in winter. Also consider planting shrubs in your windbreak to ensure wind blockage from the ground all the way up to the treetops. These shrubs can also act as a snow fence if planted on the exposed side of your windbreak, in addition to protecting young trees in a new windbreak.
Water Conservation
The most important aspect of an energy efficient landscape is limiting the amount of water you have to use to maintain it. If you plan your landscape according to your home’s regional and microclimate, as described above, then you will have already selected grasses, shrubs, and tree types that are ideal for your location. Many species available for landscaping can provide beautiful greenery and use water efficiently, thus allowing you to maximize the benefits of your lawn. The concepts of xeriscaping go more in depth into conserving water. Primarily used in the arid Southwest, xeriscaping uses several water saving strategies that can be applied anywhere:
- Plan according to your house’s climate and microclimate, as discussed above. Plant grass, trees, and shrubs that do well according to your home’s climate, and, wherever possible, use plants that are drought resistant and/or require less water.
- Limit the amount of dense turf in your yard. Use stones, shrubs, and or naturally occurring plants to reduce the area you must water frequently.
- Improve the soil before planting grass seed or installing turf to encourage well rooted grasses that require less water and reduce erosion.
- Water more efficiently by avoiding over watering and using multiple techniques for each landscape feature.
- Use mulch wherever possible to help retain moisture and reduce erosion.
- Maintain your yard. Fertilize, prune, weed, and use pest control to maximize plant health, which helps reduce water usage.
Properly landscaping the areas around your home can realize significant energy savings in heating and cooling, and when combined with other energy efficiency practices, combine to make a truly energy efficient home.
This article was featured in the All Things Eco Blog Carnival at FocusOrganic.com.
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