Save on Energy Costs
It takes a lot of energy to heat and cool your home, but you can save on these costs by landscaping your yard with energy efficiency in mind. Landscaping can help insulate your home, provide shade, stop wind drafts, and eliminate pollution. Check out these four plants that can help you save on energy costs.
Create Insulation with Bushes
Image via Flickr by evergreennedging
You could spend thousands of dollars adding insulation to the walls and rafters of your home, but you can also use nature to help insulate, too. Bushes and hedges along the edge of your home can help insulate against heat loss in the winter and keep cool air inside in the summer. Evergreen shrubs work the best because they cover a lot of area. However, before you plant trees or shrubs near your AC, consult an HVAC technician to ensure your outdoor unit will not be affected. You need at least three feet of clearance for good air flow.
Plant Trees for Shading
As the sun beats down on your house, the heat is absorbed through the roof. This wastes energy in the summer because you have to run your AC more. To provide your home with some shade, plant broad-leaf trees that provide a lot of coverage. Make sure to shade windows that get direct sunlight and the east side of your home. Of course, trees take a long time to grow, so you might have to use other methods to shade your home. For instance, you can create shade with vines that quickly scale and climb on trellises and other structures. Good shade will also help extend the life of your roof.
Lay Vegetation for Windbreaking
It’s important to seal leaks in your home to prevent drafts and energy loss, but the way you lay vegetation can also help. Place vines, tall grasses, and flowers in areas that get a lot of wind. They will act as a windbreaker and minimize the drafts through windows and doors. Flowers and vines are some of the easiest things to plant and they provide a lot of energy-saving benefits.
Reduce Pollution with Tall Grasses
It’s hard to control the air quality outside your home, especially if you live in or near a large city. That means you’ll have to run an air purifier. However, there are things you can do to ensure the pollution doesn’t get inside. For instance, you can place tall grasses and other air-filtering plants near your windows. The plants will help with air quality so your family won’t suffer from asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Of course, you’ll also want to use a highly rated HEPA filter on window AC units to further treat the air that comes into your home so you won’t have to run your air purifier as much. The best plants for filtering bad air are Gerbera daisies, spider plants, and bamboo palms.
Landscaping improves the curb appeal of your home, but it can also help with energy efficiency. Take care to ensure you’re shading your home, providing insulation, and blocking the wind where possible.
Contributed
Girl on Fire
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