Stay Cool with Landscape Shading
Solar heat absorbed through windows and roofs can increase your air conditioner use. Incorporating shading concepts into your landscape design can help reduce heat gained from the sun, reducing your cooling costs. Shading from trees can reduce surrounding air temperatures as much as nine degrees Fahrenheit (five degrees Celsius). Temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius) cooler than air temperatures above nearby asphalt.
Viewer Tip: Trees can be selected for almost any shading needs due to the variety of sizes, densities and shapes available. To block the sun’s heat in the summer but let much of it in during the winter, use deciduous trees. To provide continuous shade or to block heavy winds, use dense evergreen trees or shrubs.
For more information on landscape shading, visit www.energysavers.gov/your_home/landscaping/index.cfm/mytopic=11940
This message is provided by the Water Conservation Garden. Learn more at www.thegarden.org.
