Landscape Designs By Homeowners Article
Lowering Energy Bills With Lawn Landscaping
When lawn landscaping is done well, it seems like a paradise almost – those wonderfully manicured plants and those well-kept lawns, the ponds maybe, the fountains and the rock garden and pathways. But did you ever think that a thing of beauty can be a source of saving too? Besides looking beautiful, a lawn has its uses. It can be what lowers the energy bills in your home. Design a lawn well and you’ll find that both your heating and cooling bills see savings, on a long-term basis.
Did you know that when you plant trees on your lawns, you could save up to 25% of the energy you normally use? Just placing three trees properly on your lawn could save you $100 to $250 in a year. Computer simulations could show you how the trees should be placed so that you get optimum savings. You wonder whether this is really possible. However, studies have very clearly proved the effect of thick trees casting their shade on the house and retaining the cool air, while protecting from the harsh sun. Trees mean that the shade cools the place under them and there is a natural process called evapotransition by which the temperature in that area decreases by 3 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. This mean if the trees are placed right, the air-conditioning would work better and with more efficiency. So your air-conditioning costs would come down by anything from 15 to 50%.
The benefit of trees extends to the cooler seasons as well. Firstly, they cut off the severity of cold winds. In a study that was recently done in Dakota, houses with trees surrounding them meant that the heating costs were cut by up to 40%. If the trees only faced the wind on one side, the reduction was around 25%.
It gets better. It’s not just trees that save energy. The plants help too. The grass on the ground absorbs the carbon dioxide in the air and this reduces air pollution. Instead, they produce oxygen which is released into the air. If you plant your lawn with grass that does not grow above 6”, you will be saving power because you won’t need to use the lawn mower much. Not to mention all that effort and time!
If you were to choose plants that are resistant to insects, you will also be saving a lot of money on pesticides which would have been required if you had bugs and parasites on your plants.
Natural is the way to go today as people all over the world are realizing. A good landscaped lawn planned well will give you the natural benefit of bringing down your costs.
