Smart Landscaping. A Real-World Local Example
Smart Landscaping Adds Value
Architect Phillip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, CT, is a real-world example of how trees help moderate heating and cooling costs. In the warmer months, the trees' foliage shields the southerly side of the home from excessive solar gain. In the colder months, the trees drop their leaves, allowing maximum sunlight to reach the home's interior, reducing the need for heating.
How About Your Property / Homestead?
The simplest way to gauge how the trees in your yard enhance or detract from this ageless principle is to pinpoint "Due South." If you do not have a manual compass, check your smartphone for a "Compass App."
Here in Farmington Valley, CT, at 42 Degrees Latitude, we are 210 Miles closer to the Equator than the North Pole. The 10 am - 4 pm hours have the highest solar gain potential. Standing in your yard, you can guesstimate how the sun travels in the southern sky daily, year after year, from east to west. The sun reaches up to 72 Degrees around June 21 and 25 Degrees above the horizon around December 21.
Imagine Your Property without Trees. Now What About Trees & Foliage Well Located?
Appreciating how the trees and foliage in your yard are helping or hindering your home's ability to moderate heating and cooling is where trees and vegetation can dramatically impact heating and cooling costs.
Should you discover that the southerly side of your home is fully exposed 365 days a year, you can imagine how that will force your air conditioning to work so much harder in the summertime to maintain a comfortable temperature inside, increasing your monthly bills.
How About Your Property with Too Many Trees? Vs Trees & Foliage Thoughtfully Located?
In contrast, if the southerly side of your home is shielded by an overly thick layer of evergreens or other foliage preventing winter sunlight from reaching your home, this will put extra pressure on your furnace to keep the house warm in the colder months of the year, increasing your monthly bills.
Trees Help Cool in Summer and Warm in Winter. Heating, Cooling & Curb Appeal
Planted thoughtfully, trees and foliage reduce the costs of cooling in the summer and heating in the winter, improving your property's "curb appeal" and adding value to your property in both tangible and aesthetic ways.
Smart Landscape Design by Intent or Accident?
On the one hand, many homesteads, planted initially with the "Four Seasons" in mind, have become overgrown and need thoughtful and informed landscape work to improve their home's performance and aesthetic appeal.
On the other hand, several home sites were originally designed without considering how trees and foliage affect their homes' operating and maintenance costs.
Every Home Site Is Unique
When was the last time you walked Your Lot? Maybe when you bought the property? Is now a good time for an expert diagnosis?
Call Kevin at CC&L Tree Service Today at 860-883-0016. A free on-site consultation should prove enlightening, especially if it has been a while since you last surveyed your property.
Phillip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan CT. Image Courtesy of Time.com