Monday, December 10, 2012

Tree Planting Guide - Conserving Energy

     One of your biggest opportunities to conserve energy is right outside your living room window. 

     By working with a horticulturalist to select and plant trees around your home, you can stop chilling winds in winter, create cooling shade in summer and reduce your energy use year round.

    Winter wind breaks:  For energy efficiency in winter, plant rows of shrubs and evergreens on the north and west sides of your home.  Pine, spruce and cypress make good wind break trees.  Yews and hollies are useful for screening and hedges.

     Summer shade:  Proper shading can help you reduce your summer cooling costs.  Well selected and placed deciduous trees can provide summer shade and allow incoming solar heat in winter.  To shade your home on summer mornings, plant trees like oaks or zelkova on the east and southeast side.  If your house get a lot of hot afternoon sun, plant maples on the southwest side.  Don't forget to shade your air conditioner unit.

     Year Round Comfort:  Low trees and shrubs planted close to your home reduce wind currents and creates a dead air space that helps reduce heat loss in the winter and buffers your home from summer hot weather.

     Call Dave, a Penn State graduate in Ornamental Horticulture to discuss how we can help you cut energy costs with trees.  We work with many local quality nurseries and they can still dig trees to suit your requests.

                  Cedar Springs Landscape Nursery, Inc.  (610) 932-8827   
 

 

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