Cut Your Energy Costs with a Landscape Windbreak!

Recently, a U.S. Dept. of Energy educational campaign unveiled a legion of ways landscape windbreaks can help homeowners save even more on their energy costs.

According to a report from the agency at energy.gov, wind protection – or windbreaks – not only reduce heating costs considerably from the moment they are planted or installed, but the benefits from windbreaks will increase as the trees and shrubs mature.

A windbreak reduces heating costs by lowering the wind chill near your home.

The report states that a windbreak will reduce wind speed for a distance of as much as 30 times the windbreak’s height. But for maximum protection, the agency advises you to plant your windbreak at a distance from your home of two to five times the mature height of the trees.

The best windbreaks block wind close to the ground by using trees and shrubs that have low crowns. Dense evergreen trees and shrubs planted to the north and northwest of the home are the most common type of windbreak.

Evergreen trees combined with a wall, fence, or earth berm (natural or man-made walls or raised areas of soil) can deflect or lift the wind over the home. Just be careful not to plant evergreens too close to your home’s south side if you want to collect passive solar heat from the winter sun, the agency states. The Texas A&M Forest Service features an easy to use [online] Texas Tree Planting Guide to help you choose the correct tree for your windbreak.

In addition to more distant windbreaks, planting shrubs, bushes, and vines next to your house creates dead air spaces that insulate your home in both winter and summer.

Plant so there will be at least one foot (30 centimeters) of space between full-grown plants and your home’s wall.

Summer winds, especially at night, can have a cooling effect if used for home ventilation. However, if winds are hot and your home is air conditioned all summer, you may want to keep summer winds from circulating near your home.

Here are a few garden and nursery resources to get you started:

Expertise.com – Top 11 Garden & Nursery Stores serving Dallas

CBSlocal.com – Best DFW Nurseries for Starting your Garden

Northeast Texas Nursery Growers Association – Member Map

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