Landscaping for Energy Efficiency

Creating and maintaining a well designed landscape not only looks beautiful, but can also lead to lower electric bills. The United States Department of Energy says that on average, landscaping for energy efficiency will yield returns in eight years. Not too bad for an aesthetically pleasing front lawn.

Solar heat that is absorbed through the roof and windows will increase your home’s temperature. To combat this, consider planting a shade tree to cover the greatest amount of living space. Newly planted shade tress will begin to shade your home by the end of the first year. Within five to ten years, the trees will reach the roof, providing ample shade.

SMUD offers a fantastic program to increase the tree population as well as provide free shade to homes across the area. SMUD will provide the stakes, ties, fertilizer and tree delivery at no cost to the home owner. The home owner is responsible for planting and caring for the tree. When you are ready to plant your free SMUD tree, call SMUD at (916)924-TREE to schedule a time for the Community Forrester to come to you home and choose the best location for the tree. The Community Forrester will also guide you in selecting a tree species. The free SMUD tree will be delivered within 10 days of the selection process.

Since 1990, the Sacramento Tree Foundation in collaboration with SMUD have provided more than 450,000 shade trees to residents in the Sacramento area.

Another low cost solution to making your home more energy efficient is to plant shrubs next to your house- creating dead air spaces during the summer and winter months. To create the dead air space, make sure there’s at least one foot of space between the house and the bushes.

Energy saving  landscaping doesn’t have to mean sparse and unattractive. Often seen in arid climates, xeriscapingis a functional and efficient way to decrease water and energy usage. Xeriscaping places heavy emphasis on planning and designing your space for the highest level of efficiency, using plants that are native to your area, and limiting turf areas that use significant amounts of water.

For more local tools and information about energy efficient landscaping, please click here.

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Posted by Michelle Ventress on Jun 8 2009. Filed under Viewpoints. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.