How A Well-Done Landscaping Plan Can Boost Your Home’s Insulation

The weather in the Delaware valley is beautiful, exciting – and unexpected. While the weather may be unpredictable, you can still make your home more comfortable and reduce your energy costs.

Properly planned landscaping can help keep heat out in the summer and retain warmth in the winter. There are three ways plants help insulation work more efficiently:

• Create shade over windows, walls and roofs and keep direct sunlight away from your home.
• Create an area of still air, trapping heat on the outside.
• Create “transpiration,” or moisture evaporating from the leaves of plants, which cools the surrounding air.

By properly planting shrubs and/or vines, you can create air pockets that serve as an additional layer of insulation.

Don’t forget about the high humidity, however, and be sure to plant any shrubs or vines at least one foot away from the house. A vine growing directly against the wall of a house will lead to the collection of moisture, which can damage walls and foundations. Deciduous shade trees are also good to use as insulation enhancements.

Shade trees should be planted on the south, west and/or east sides of your home. Select trees that will develop a large crown of leaves to provide as much shade as possible to your home. Plant shade trees at least 10 feet away from your home to protect your foundation from being damaged by roots. Ten feet away will still provide plenty of shade. In the winter, the bare trees will help warm your home by allowing sunlight through.

Planting evergreen trees can work as a windbreak to reduce the wind-chill factor and will keep your home warmer in the winter. They also provide shade for the summer.

Trees used as a windbreak should be planted well away from your home, at a distance of two to four times the height of mature trees of that species.

Contact the experts at Sobieski Services for help identifying your home insulation needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Sobieski serves Wilmington, Delaware and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!