Yew in winter

Thoughtful landscaping not only beautifies your home and adds to its resale value, it can also reduce heating costs!

Here are a few tips for saving money on heating bills with an energy efficient landscape:

• Plant evergreen trees as a windbreak on the northwest side of your house. Studies have found that windbreaks can reduce heating costs by up to 20%. Windbreaks are effective for a distance of up to eight times their own height. For maximum effectiveness, use a mix of tall trees, shorter trees, and shrubs in your windbreak.
• Use evergreens as base plantings on the north wall of your house. A dense hedge of evergreen shrubs such as the yews on the right planted along the north wall of your house will break the wind and create an insulating pocket of still air against your home. Make sure to leave a gap of 1 -5 feet between the full grown hedge and the wall it protects.
• Plant deciduous trees on the south, west, and east sides of your home. Deciduous trees planted against the south, west, and east sides of your home will reduce your cooling bills in the summer by shading your house, but in winter the bare branches will allow the sun to stream through and warm your house naturally.

Related posts:

1. Lower Cooling Bills With Energy Efficient Landscaping
2. Plant an Edible Hedgerow
3. Save Money on Grocery Bills With a Home Kitchen Garden
4. The Basics of Low Impact Development for Gardeners