How Shading and Landscaping Reduce Cooling Costs
Launch library · evergreen read
Strategic shading, whether from trees, awnings or external blinds, blocks direct sun before it ever reaches windows and walls at all, which is considerably more effective at reducing indoor heat gain than trying to cool a space after sunlight has already entered and warmed the interior surfaces throughout the day and into the evening.
Deciduous trees planted on a home's western or northern side, depending on hemisphere, provide dense summer shade while dropping their leaves in winter, allowing valuable warming sunlight through during the colder months when that heat is actually welcome inside the home rather than unwanted at all.
Beyond shading windows directly, well placed vegetation can also cool the immediate surrounding air through evaporation from leaves, and light coloured or reflective paving nearby can reduce how much heat radiates toward a building from the ground itself during the hottest parts of a long summer afternoon and into the evening.