Now that Summer is here, so will household energy costs, primarily due to the increased demand for cooling. Most homeowners are thinking of ways to conserve energy indoors, but another useful and often ignored option is right outside your door—landscaping. By utilizing strategic landscaping and implementing energy-saving measures, you can enhance the aesthetic appeal of your property while also lowering your utility bills during the summer months. In this blog, we will examine how shade placement, plant choice, hardscaping, and the timing of maintenance can all contribute to achieving a high level of energy savings and enhancing your lifestyle benefits.
How to Use Shade to Cut Down on Cooling Costs
Natural shade is one of the easiest ways to reduce cooling bills. While a house design can shield the sun’s damaging rays with walls and roofs, the strategic placement of trees and/or structures can also block the sun’s significant rays and regulate indoor temperatures.
Planting deciduous trees, such as maples or oaks, on the south and west sides of your home can significantly reduce heat gains during the summer months. Shade trees can reduce air conditioning costs by as much as 15% to 50%.
In addition to trees, trees with climbing vines, vertical gardens, and pergolas provide shade microclimates, which ultimately reduce the temperature on the exterior walls and windows of your house.
How to Choose Energy-Efficient Plants and Ground Cover
Smart plant selection is an essential aspect of energy-efficient landscaping in the summer months. To do this:
- Select drought-tolerant varieties (i.e., lavender, yarrow, or succulents) that use less water, along with being good contenders for the heat.
- Ground cover, such as clover or creeping thyme, or mulch, serves as insulation for your soil, preventing heat from radiating from the ground into your house.
- Plant or mulch with native plants, as they are better adapted to your local climate, require less irrigation, and help mitigate the impacts of water shortages.
- When designing your landscape, be sure to consider your HVAC unit. Avoid planting shrubs too close to your HVAC unit; the natural airflow component of your system is important for your efficiency.
Maintenance Considerations for Summer Energy Savings
Ongoing maintenance will ensure that your smart landscaping sustainably saves energy. To maintain your landscape, do the following:
- Keeping your trees pruned regularly will encourage tree canopies to work their magic with shade maximization while creating airflow around your house.
- Investing in drip lines or smart sprinklers will help better direct water into the root zone of your plants while avoiding waste.
- Check your soil moisture regularly to avoid over-irrigating your plants and creating unwanted humidity in and around the plant canopies, which could compromise your cooling system.
- Regular cleaning of your hardscaping surfaces can ensure they maintain good reflective properties.
Why GCS Outdoors Can Assist
“Smart landscaping” is much more than an attractive exterior. It’s also careful planning and sustainable implementation. That’s what GCS Outdoors is here for. With an unmatched team’s decades of experience arranging energy-efficient, ready-for-summer landscapes, GCS Outdoors can customize every aspect of your project to fit your home, project, and climate.
Contact GCS Outdoors today, and we can create a custom “smart landscape energy savings plan” to keep your home less hot and your wallet more satisfied.