Don't Forget the House Insulation
That's in your Yard

Now that you have assessed your house insulation needs and adopted some of the best energy strategies to save money around the house, where else can look to cut energy costs while making your home more comfortable?

Outdoors.

Anyone who has stepped from the summer sun to the shade of a tree or from direct wind to the protection of a tall hedge knows the power of shading and wind screening. Like you, your house is a temperature controlled system which interacts with its environment.

We feel hotter in direct sun because our bodies absorb its radiation, adding heat to our system. A breeze removes heat from the surface of our skin. As energy flows out from us to replace it, we feel cooler.

Wind Screening

Like it or not, even with the best house insulation, your house leaks. That energy loss will be greater when wind passes air over the surface of your house. A 20 mph wind on a 35 F day feels to us like 11 F. Stop the wind and you can save that 24 degree difference.

There are two ways to naturally improve your house insulation by screening. If you are building a new house, note the prevailing wind direction and site the house so there is a hill, grove of trees or other structure upwind. Place no windows or at least smaller windows on the windward side. And fit them with lined draperies or insulated shades.

For an existing home, the best wind insulators are deciduous or coniferous trees that are both fast growing and which provide a tight, “fence line“ effect. Lombardy or Hybrid Poplar (deciduous), or Norway or Colorado Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir and Dawn Redwood (all coniferous) are good choices.

Shading

In northern climates, you want shade in the summer but no leaves in winter so the sun can shine through. In southern climates, a perennial deciduous tree provides shade all year. Deciduous trees also directly cool the air around them as water evaporates from the leaves.

Plant deciduous trees to shade east facing walls in the morning and west facing walls in the afternoon. For trees with a mature height of 25 feet or higher, plant them 10-20 feet from your home. Avoid planting these trees in any southern aspect as even without leaves in winter, they will obstruct winter sun. If you do plant to the south, plant these trees at a distance of 3-4 times their mature height from your house.

True Deciduous Trees

The Hybrid Poplar and Tulip Poplar can provide shade for a one story house in three years. The American Sycamore grows up to 6 ft./year. The Scarlet Red Maple, 3 ft./year.

Evergreen Deciduous Trees

The Eucalyptus grows 3-6 ft./year and provides good shade. The Southern Magnolia has beautiful fragrant blooms once mature, but it is not a fast grower. The fast growing Water Oak favors wetter climates.

Remember to consider a tree’s mature height, width and root type when planting to avoid crowding, interference with power lines and root infestation with septic tanks or other underground features.

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