Can foliage really help with my electric bill?

Trees & Shrubs

Lawns can require a staggering amount of upkeep, but to get the perfect turf we’ve come to expect, it takes a lot of lawnmower fuel, fertilizer, lime and time. Lawns also need watering, thatching, and aerating. Depending on how far you want to take it, there are ways’ to reduce a lawn's demands or, possibly replace the lawn altogether. Planting trees and shrubs is definitely a way to make a house more comfortable in the summer and winter.

While it may be easier to build on a clear cut site, it’s hard to find anything that multitasks better than a tree. Trees can block cold winter winds and the hot summer sun, all while making the oxygen we need to breathe. It may be easier to build on a cleared job site than a wooded one. Before the chainsaw is cued up, consider the long term benefits of standing trees. Trees take a long time to reach maturity and when they become large enough to grace a site, they will also be expensive to replace. Trees block the wind and provide shade. Take time to think about how trees or their absence will affect the house when preparing a site for construction and make decisions accordingly. On a hot day it is far more comfortable to rest under the shade of a tree than in the glare of the sun. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that plantings can reduce cooling costs by 25 percent. Trees and shrubs make effective windbreaks when they’re planted (or left standing) some distance from the house, lifting wind up and over buildings. The result can be lower energy consumption and greater comfort. Windbreaks can also control drifting snow and create habitats for birds and animals.

Build your new house where the land works FOR you.

Architectural Building Orientation by CS Custom Structures, Inc.

Prior to the early 1950s, much more consideration was given to the placement of a home on a building site. This was before conditioned homes when homeowners relied on wind breaks, shade trees and hills to provide some relief from hot summers and cold winters.

There are many things to consider when placing a new home on a building site. Panoramic views are important, but they certainly can’t help save costs on energy bills.

Issues that should be stressed with clients to save energy costs include large expanses of thermal glazing along southern exposures to warm the house in winter. It is also important to consider shading features for these windows to cool the southern exposure in summer. Covered porches and large shade trees can easily reduce midday temperatures by 20 degrees or more.

If the site is wooded then construction should minimize disruptions, leaving as much vegetation as possible. Trees serve as wind breaks as well as shading elements. It is preferable to build a home into a hill rather than on top of a hill.

Building orientation to help warm the home in winter, cool the home in summer and reduce wind gusts, year-round, along with other energy efficient techniques and products, are good examples of how the design of a home can save on energy costs.