A well-designed
landscape not only can add beauty to your home but also can reduce your heating
and cooling costs. A well-placed tree, shrub, or vine can deliver effective
shade, act as a windbreak, and reduce your energy bills. Carefully
positioned trees can save up to 25% of the energy a typical household uses.
In Florida’s humid
climate try to –
·
Channel summer breezes
toward the home.
·
Solar heat absorbed
through windows and roofs can increase cooling costs, shade by landscaping
elements can help reduce this solar heat gain. Shading and evapotranspiration
from trees can reduce surrounding air temperatures as much as 6° F.
·
Using shade
effectively requires you to know the size, shape, and location of the moving
shadow that your shading device casts.
·
Although a
slow-growing tree may require many years of growth before it shades your roof,
it will generally live longer than a fast-growing tree. Also, because
slow-growing trees often have deeper roots and stronger branches, they are less
prone to breakage by windstorms. Slow-growing trees can also be more drought
resistant than fast-growing trees.
·
Trees, shrubs, and
groundcover plants can also shade the ground and pavement around the home. This
reduces heat radiation and cools the air before it reaches your home’s walls
and windows. Use a large bush or row of shrubs to shade a patio or driveway; a
hedge to shade a sidewalk.
·
Vines can also shade
walls during their first growing season. A lattice or trellis with climbing
vines, or a planter box with trailing vines, shades the home’s perimeter while
admitting cooling breezes to the shaded area.
·
Shrubs planted close
to the house will fill in rapidly and begin shading walls and windows within a
few years. However, avoid allowing dense foliage to grow immediately next to a
home where wetness and continual humidity could cause problems.
·
To ensure lasting
performance of energy-saving landscaping, use plant species that are native as
they require little maintenance once established.
Comfort you can count on!
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