An Energy Efficient Home through Purposeful Landscaping
It is a fact that the cost of energy is increasing everyday. With today's high oil prices, many people are now doing everything to save energy in order to lower the amount of dollars on their monthly utility bills, such as electricity and gas bills. Now, people have changed from traditional light bulbs to more modern energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs, people are now turning off their lights when they go out the room, and people are now also turning off their thermostat when they are leaving their homes. However, doing all these things may prove to be insufficient in lowering your monthly utility bills. So, what more can you do?
Actually, you don’t have to look very far. Natural seasonal changes can provide you with new opportunities to save on your electric and gas bills. Purposeful landscaping is the answer in providing you with savings on your monthly utility expenses. Not only that, you will also be able to make your home a lot more beautiful to look at.
People always say that an energy efficient home isn't always a pretty sight to see. However, by altering your landscape, you will be able to make your home more efficient and also more beautiful.
The next question that you may ask is how landscaping can provide you with an energy efficient home. Try to imagine that you live in an area where the winter season can be very cold, if you don't. If that's not enough, the wind chill factor can make things worse. By providing a natural barrier from the cold winds, you will be able to decrease the amount of the heating needs for your home. You can do this by planting evergreens on the north part of your home.
By planting evergreen trees and shrubs, you will be able to create a windbreak and can decrease the effect of the wind chill factor. This will mean that you will be creating an environment in your home that will help your heater keep up with the cold and be more efficient in giving off heat. Another use of shrubs is that it can be used in hedgerows. This will enable you to catch snow that is blown by the wind in order to keep snow from accumulating against your home. You can also plant vines and bushes about 1 foot from the wall of your home. This will create a dead air space that will keep your home insulated against the harshness of winter and the extremes of summer.
In warmer climates, trees can provide shade to your home to keep it cool. On the western part of the house, it is recommended that you should plant lower trees to shade the walls against the hot afternoon sun. Shrubs can also increase the efficiency of air conditioning unit by planting the shrubs near the air conditioning unit to shade it against the heat of the sun.
As you can see, there are things that you can do to effectively make your home energy efficient through purposeful landscaping. The great thing about this is that it won't cost as much as getting a solar panel installed in your home and it will also enable you get a great looking home without sacrificing efficiency.
So, if you are looking for a way to make your home more energy efficient, you can do so by just altering your garden. By planting trees and shrubs on strategic spots on your yard, you will not only make your home more energy efficient, but you will also create a great place for you to relax.
