Most homeowners are always on the look-out for ways to decrease energy bills. We know one way that can help cut those charges and all it takes is a little planning and an appreciation of your landscape. By planting trees in the right areas on your property, they can help cool your home in the summer and block cold blasts from hitting your home in the winter. This only works when done correctly though. This not only means planting the trees in the right places, but using the right type of trees for each location. Some trees are better at providing shade, while others may be better suited for blocking wind. Keeping the size each tree will be at maturity is a crucial piece of information as well. For help maintaining those mature trees on your property, call us for any tree service in Barnegat or anywhere in Ocean County.
Trees to Help Protect Against Weather
The heat from the summer sun has the same effect on your home as it does on everything else. It raises the temperature quickly and with no effort at all. The hotter your home, the harder your a/c unit has to work. The longer the air is on and actively cooling your home, the higher your energy bill will be. Imagine, instead a mature, deciduous tree planted in the exact right spot that provides full shade cover for your home during the summer months. Adversely, the winter winds force cold air into your home making it harder for your heater to keep your home comfortable.
Protect Your Roof
For maximum shade protection from mid-morning through early evening, a combination of smaller and larger trees is best. The taller trees will be the ones blocking the home from the sun when it is at its most powerful. These should be at least 25-feet tall at maturity and ideally be located on the east, west, and southern sides of a home. Smaller trees and shrubs should be limited to the eastern and western sides of a property. Selecting deciduous trees for these plantings allows for powerful sun protection in the summer but allows the sun to heat your home in the winter.
Block the Wind
The biggest weather effect on your home in the winter is wind. Strong winds easily push cold air into each and every crevice and crack in a home. An effective way to cut-down on this impact is to block the wind. The best type of tree for this use are evergreen trees that keep their foliage year-round. The tighter barrier you can form with the trees, the more effective at blocking winter winds. Planting trees in a line or in groupings are the best formations for windbreaks. The stronger the wind you experience, the more tightly grouped the trees should be.
Cool the Environment
Not only can trees help keep your home cool by shading it from the summer sun, through a process of transpiration, they help keep the environment cool as well. Just as our bodies cool off using evaporation, trees are cooled as they release water vapor from their aerial parts such as leaves and stems. According to the EPA, “Evapotranspiration, alone or in combination with shading, can help reduce peak summer temperatures by 2–9°F (1–5°C).” A reduction in temperature of almost 10 ̊ is a huge break for your air conditioner. This translates into a savings in your energy bills each month.
Tree Service in Barnegat Can Help
Keeping trees healthy and strong is a big part of using them effectively to reduce energy bills. We can help with that. Low hanging branches on southern-side trees can cause shading in the winter provoking the opposite effect that you want. Reducing limbs at the right time and in the right amount helps keep a tree trunk growing straight and strong. Extra stress from heavy branches can lead to leaning, compromised trees. If you have trees that need a little TLC, give us a call! We’ll take care of any tree service in Barnegat and beyond.