By Elizabeth Watts
Relief from the summer sun can come from the shade of a tree, not only for people but for their houses too.
A Rocky Mountain Power spokeswoman said an average of 30 percent of a home”s energy bill comes from air conditioning, which homeowners have been blasting constantly to combat this summer”s record-breaking heat.
This increased need for energy combined with rising energy costs have inspired some to plant more trees around the home to lower costs.
The trees are not only environmentally friendly; they block sunlight and heat that can come into the house through windows, while taking stress off the power system.
Robyn Webb of Western Valley Nurseries in Provo said while there are many people who come to the nursery and want small trees at the front of their house for decoration, finding trees for house shade is usually the first priority.
“Shading your house with a few trees can cool your house by 10 to 15 degrees easily,” Webb said.
Some good fast-growing trees are ash, sugar honey and honey locust, Webb said. These types of trees can grow to be 40 feet tall and will be solid trees that provide plenty of shade.
However, Webb said there are some trees that are not good to plant, such as aspens, poplars and willows. People will purchase these types of trees often because they are fast-growing, but they are hollow in the middle from growing so fast and will fall down when a microburst comes through. Aspen trees are popular and trendy in Utah right now, but they are also not good trees to plant since they are attacked by many diseases and can look horrible.
The actual process of planting the tree is important to the success of providing shade, Webb said. Trees can grow substantially from the time they are planted. If the trees are planted too close to a house, the trees can fall over or the branches can scratch the house when it is windy. A good distance to plant trees is 20 feet from the house.
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands provides strategies on its Web site for homeowners to save on energy. The first strategy is to plant trees on the west- and east-facing sides of structures. The west side of a home is the most important because heat builds up throughout the day.
Planting trees or shrubs to shade central air conditioning units helps the units to consume less energy then an air conditioner that is hot from exposure to the sun.
Homeowners can also avoid problems by planting tall growing species away from power lines.
