Energy-Efficient Landscaping Tips to Save Money
Depending on what part of the world you’re living in, you may be noticing the tiny changes in weather and wildlife that joyfully mark the beginning of Spring. With more chirping birds and warm sun shining through your window, you may be thinking “Is it time to start on my landscaping for the year?”
The short answer is absolutely! Now is the best time to start planning your landscaping strategy so you can enjoy your lawn throughout Spring, Summer, and beyond.
A well-manicured lawn certainly looks nice, but what you may not realize is that the landscaping plans you’re acting on now can save you money for many months (or years!) to come.
Especially if you live in an environment where heat waves or snowstorms come and go, you’re likely no stranger to some of the exaggerated costs of heating and cooling your home during different times of the year. It’s hard to blame yourself for being less eco-friendly when your home is uncomfortably warm or cold. Those heating and electric bills can climb fast when your top priority is keeping your home at a stable temperature all year long.
So, what landscaping tips can help cut those red-hot heating and cooling bills?
According to some experts, planting trees along the South and West sides of your home provides much-needed shade that can shrink your cooling costs. In fact, it’s been shown that planting trees in this particular strategic location can actually reduce the temperature in your home’s attic – by as much as 40 degrees!
During the warmer months, cooling your attic dramatically can result in some big savings to your electric bill. This is especially true if you rely on window air conditioning units, which can be costly to run for hours on end.
Lowering your attic temperature can result in less time spent running these inefficient units, and instead you may be able to cool each room with a small fan, which costs much less to operate.
How can you implement this idea into your landscaping strategy (and still have a great-looking lawn)? Easy!
Choose trees that are visually appealing to you and that look great set against the rest of the trees in your neighborhood. Make sure to pay extra close attention to the needs of the trees you decide to plant. Some trees are more resource-demanding than others, so you want to make sure you’re planting trees that will thrive under the conditions in your climate without the need for any additional special care.
If you’re not up to such a big project, there are other beneficial energy saving landscaping tips you can use to reduce your heating and cooling costs.
Planting bushes in your yard can make your house stand out from the rest of your neighborhood. But where you plant your bushes can actually impact your heating and cooling costs.
Beautiful bushes, such as the ever-popular Rhododendron, add a huge pop of color to your lawn. If you plant them around or under your windows, especially windows that may not get as much sunlight, the bushes can help block wind from reaching your windows. They can also act as an insulator, keeping cold air out and warm air in.
Some bushes require a lot of natural sunlight, so as always, make sure the plants you choose will thrive under the natural conditions in your lawn without having to tend to them around the clock or waste other resources.
Landscaping is not only a great way to increase your curb appeal, but there are a ton of other benefits to keeping your lawn in tip-top shape. A nice garden adds value to your home and makes it a more pleasant place to begin and end your days.
Interested in more energy-efficient landscaping tips? Hippo has an amazing list of eco-friendly landscaping tips that will get your creative juices flowing for a lawn your neighbors will envy.
Salman Zafar is an ecopreneur, consultant, advisor, speaker and journalist with expertise in waste management, waste-to-energy, renewable energy, environment protection, conservation and sustainable development. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. Salman is the Founder of EcoMENA, a popular voluntary organization based in Qatar. He is also the Founder and CEO of BioEnergy Consult, a reputed consulting firm active in biomass, waste-to-energy and waste management segments.
Salman is a professional environmental writer with more than 350 popular articles to his credit. He is proactively engaged in creating mass environmental awareness in different parts of the world.
Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org or salman@bioenergyconsult.com
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