Landscaping can help you save energy.
You can achieve as much as a 30% reduction in cooling and 20% in heating costs through landscaping. Proper landscaping can shade your home from the summer sun and protect your home from winter winds. In addition, having trees near your home can help keep the air cooler and; they also help absorb pollutants.
Because of shading and reduce air temperature as much as 9 degrees F in the area surrounding them and the area directly under a tree can be as much as 36 degrees F cooler than air temperatures above nearby blacktop. One young tree can cut energy costs about 3% within 5 years and nearly 12% within 15 years.
It’s estimated that you can save between $100 and $250 in energy costs by planting as few as three trees.
To find information on planting trees, see the Iowa State University Extension publication “Landscaping for Energy Conservation.”
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