How do planting trees help reduce your energy bills?
Aug 27, 2020
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No one wants expensive energy bills, which have always been major household expenditures. Homeowners' best way of reducing their power bill in the past was to sacrifice their quality of life and turn off turning their air conditioner in hot weather.
Technological advances have enabled us to use energy more wisely. However, most have neglected a natural but effective option - planting trees around our home.
How trees can reduce your energy bills!
Planting trees solve the problem in a different manner compared with advanced energy savers. It reduces the demands of consuming energy while not sacrificing our quality of life. Trees can serve many purposes which all help reduce your energy bills.
Natural air-conditioners
Air conditioning consumes a lot of energy during summer. However, we want a comfortable temperature for continuing our daily activities at home. Luckily, trees are the natural air conditioner that cools the surrounding.
Every minute, trees are performing transpiration. The process evaporates water absorbed from their roots and transmitted throughout the tree exiting through the leaves. The evaporation of water absorbs heat in the surrounding, cooling the environment. In fact, energy absorption by evaporation is the mechanism used in an air conditioner. Research has demonstrated that places with more trees planted are 6 degrees lower than places that haven't.
To quantify the effect, according to the USDA Forest Services, the cooling effect of a healthy tree can be as effective as ten household air conditioners operating 20 hours per day.
By planting trees on the side of your home that gets most of the sun in summer you will effectively reduce your power bill by up to 32%.
By planting deciduous trees which loose their leave in winter, and trimming the trees lower branches to allow good light penetration during winter, you will still reap the benefits of the suns heat in winter.
The umbrella effect
Direct sunshine heats your home very fast. Worse yet, the heat will be trapped in the concrete and release in the night.
Trees are like very large umbrellas that shade your house. Planting trees in the southeast and southwest of your house can offer protection from the blazing sun all day. Trees with high spreading crowns are perfect for roof shading. As a result, you will be living under throughout protection of the greatest natural parasols.
Also, the effect is automatically adjusted. During summer, the trees will grow a lot of leaves to maximize the effect. On the contrary, in winter when you need sunshine to keep your house warm, most leaves have been fallen that won't block warm sunshine.
The cooling effect is enormous. The USDA Forest Service revealed that properly planted trees around your home can reduce the need for air conditioning by 30%. The financial implications will be very significant in the long term. The U.S. Department of Energy helps monetize the idea, suggesting that three properly placed trees around your house can lower your energy bill by $100 to $250 annually.
Huge windbreakers in winter
Another major energy consumption is heating during winter. Cold wind will penetrate your house and freeze every one inside. Planting trees upwind or perpendicularly to the north and the west side of your house, you can enjoy the benefits of an effective windbreak as the first barrier to the cold air. However, the actual planting location should take into account local conditions such as nearby houses or hill. Meanwhile, choosing the right type of tree is important. Evergreen trees, which mean their leaves remain in winter, will fit the job.
Research shows that the reduction of household heating energy consumption is 1.3% per tree.3 Planting several trees around your house can, therefore, make a big discount on your energy bills.
Efficient natural energy savers
No matter what season it is, planting trees will reduce the demand for energy uses of regulating temperatures. Trees integrate the physics behind temperature optimization, including reducing heat by evaporation, insulating sunshine, and blocking cold winds. They are the most effective and efficient natural energy savers. All this helps reduce your energy bills. Planting those trees properly will be the first step to cheaper energy bills.