2.2i Landscaping

Feature	According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy: Well-designed landscaping not only can add beauty to a home but it also can reduce heating and cooling costs. On average, landscaping for energy efficiency provides enough energy savings to return an initial investment in less than 8 years. As an example, this home in hot and humid New Orleans is shaded in the morning by a large tree. This shading cuts down considerably on how much air conditioning is needed to keep the family inside comfortable, and thus cuts down on the family’s monthly electric bill.
	Just next door, this house has no shading trees. Thus, under the wrath of the hot southern sun, without t superior wall and attic insulation this house will be heated up by mid-morning and will require much more energy to keep it comfortable throughout the day.
Climate Zones	According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy: The energy-conserving landscape strategies used should depend on which region the house is in. The United States can be divided into four approximate climatic regions: temperate, hot-arid, hot-humid, and cool. Below are landscaping strategies listed by region and in order of importance:   — Temperate Region • Maximize warming effects of the sun in the winter. • Maximize shade during the summer. • Deflect winter winds away from buildings. • Funnel summer breezes toward the home.   — Hot-Arid Region • Provide shade to cool roofs, walls, and windows. • Allow summer winds to access naturally cooled homes. • Block or deflect winds away from air-conditioned homes.   — Hot-Humid Region • Channel summer breezes toward the home. • Maximize summer shade with trees that still allow penetration of low-angle winter sun. • Avoid locating planting beds close to the home if they require frequent watering.   — Cool Region • Use dense windbreaks to protect the home from cold winter winds. • Allow the winter sun to reach south-facing windows. • Shade south and west windows and walls from the direct summer sun, if summer overheating is a problem.