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Energy Conservation through Landscaping The outline Background on Energy usage current Energy strategies alternative energy strategies Energy Conserving Landscape Landscape Changes tempering the sun sculpting the wind possible solutions for temperature increasing and decreasing Landscaping Alternatives Planting Landscape adjustments Using windbreaks to shape the wind Planning your plantings Quick fixes for climate control Conclusions Until recently global energy use was increasing rapidly, and studies projecting trends predicted enormous increases in future energy demand. Given the observed correlation between per capita energy use and per capita gross national product (GNP), both historically for individual countries and among countries, these studies concluded that a continuing increase in energy use was a prerequisite to progress in developing countries. Even the proponents of these energy strategies admitted that material and capital resources were likely to limit attaining high energy growth rates, implying that economic development was unattainable by most of the worlds population. Pursuing such an energy strategy will entail a high price: acid rain, land disturbance, deforestation, nuclear proliferation and global climate change.
For most countries which must import oil and coal, this strategy also means a continuing heavy burden of foreign debt that already threatens their economic future. Against this backdrop of bad news, an alternative energy strategy has begun to gain momentum. This strategy, directed towards sustainable development, questions equating energy use with GNP, and GNP with development. (1) The features of this energy strategy are as follows: satisfying basic human needs; meeting the energy needs of the poor and disadvantaged; creating fair economic comparison between all energy sources and end uses; promoting energy efficiency improvements; beginning a transition to renewable energy sources; generating new knowledge and technological advances; promoting national self-reliance; and compatibility of energy strategies to other global problems. The sustainable world energy strategy is based on a detailed look at how energy is used, rather than on the traditional preoccupation with energy supply and aggregated demand. Because of its emphasis on the uses to which energy is put, it is also known as an end-use-oriented energy strategy. An end-use-oriented approach considers the end uses of energy or the energy services performed, such as cooking, lighting and passenger and goods transport.
By considering the technical and economic details of present and alternative end-use devices- stoves, lamps, vehicles etc- one can identify improved ways of meeting future demand for energy services. These may be classified into three groups: (1) more efficient end-use devices, e. g. more efficient motors, boilers, cars and cooking stoves; (2) synergies, e.
g. technologies that permit simultaneous servicing of several end uses, such as the cogeneration of heat and power; and (3) new supply options, especially those using renewable and decentralized resources, e. g. technologies that are not considered in conventional, centralized energy planning.
The United States has 42 million acres f yards (an area abut the size f New England). Mst f these yards waste water are sprayed with chemicals, dnt use native plants, and cant support wildlife. nly a small percentage is designed t reduce hme energy use. An energy-cn serving landscape is the backbone f a my-saving yard and the single mst important landscaping change yu can make fr the environment.
It free requires we-property planning t implement. There will still be plenty f rm fr ther landscaping touches and environmental considerations, but creating an energy-cn serving landscape will frm the basic shape f mst yards. Its important t emphasize that energy-cn serving landscape designs vary significantly frm regin t regin, and can even vary frm property t property within a regin- depending upn a yards particular micr climate (i. e. , the local conditions n a small site). Before implementing landscaping changes, yu should measure yur property, make a map, and take an inventory f its current condition. Nte hw yur plants and lawn are ding.
Record water run patterns, nte hw yu actually use yur yard, and test yur sil. berne and record the way the sun and wind affect yur property. Noticing where see drifts and leaves collect in yur yard will clue yu in t prevailing winds. r, if yu want t be mre scientific, set up small wind sck's r flags and record yur bservatins n a wind chart. Tempering the Sun. The strategy fr handling the sun is simple: back it when its ht; let it in when its cld.
Whats mre complicated is where t place- and avid- plantings t achieve these gals. In many cases reading trees can be mre important than planting them. As landscape writer Robert Kursk new, The ld-fashioned idea that an energy-cn serving landscape means a thicket f deciduous trees and the southern side f a huse [s the leaves back the sun in the summer, but drp ff and let the sun in during the winter] is nt nly ineffective, but free counterproductive. Fr mst f the country, heating cst's mre than cling, s a hme's southern exposure should always be cleared t let in the suns warmth. Even leafless deciduous trees can back 25 %- 60 % f the suns energy. Fr mst hme's in the United States and Canada, tall shade trees should be placed n the eastern and western sides f the huse.
Since the summer sun rises high in the sky, its the rf and the eastern and western walls that get direct heat and thus need the mst protection. (4) T determine where t plant eastern and western shade trees fr the mst effective sun cntrl, yu need t know the path f the sun at yur hme's location. Charts frm the local library r in the appendix f Energy-Efficient and Environmental Landscaping (Appropriate Solutions Press, Does Rad Bx 39, Such Newfane, Vt. 05351; (802) 348 - 7441) will give yur sun position fr different season and times f day. By king the suns position, yu know exactly where t place yur plants t maximize summer cling with interfering with needed winter warmth. In Columbus, hi, fr example, the midday summer sun is 73 degrees high in the sky (the altitude angle taken frm the chart). Frm the southwestern t the southeastern center f a Columbus hme, trees should be planted and a line that veers ff at a 73 degrees angle f due such. The fan-shaped area facing such in between the lines should be free f large shade-producing trees.
This will ensure maximum warmth during the winter while backing the hottest summer sun. If yu need t plant trees r shrubs t the such (fr aesthetic reasons r fr a windbreak) and dnt want t back the sun, king the winter suns position tells yu hw far frm the huse yu need t plant. (4) If yu dnt already have plants t the east and west f yur huse, yu can establish fast-growing deciduous vines n a trellis and the wall. This will give also immediate cling benefits while yu wait fr larger, seller-growing trees t mature. Be sure t leave at least a ft between the trellis and yur siding s that rt, mildew, and heat buildup dnt und the vines benefits. (In addition t shading, trees cl by absorbing the suns heat. Excessive heat is processed by evaporating water, which adds mature t the air. In ht, humid climates, that mature can cause problems if yur plants are t case t yur huse.
In arid areas, the added mature has a pleasant, cling effect. ) In the hottest parts f the country, such as southern Florida, its ideal t have high-carried palm trees near the such f yur huse. The palms will let in sme winter sun while providing year-rund protection frm the ht midday sun. Planting deciduous vines n eyebrow trellises attached t the underside f southern and western eaves can back the sun during the hottest parts f the year with eliminating winter warmth. In ht, humid areas, plant placement and species click are especially important when planting case t yur hme- ther wise, yu could create excessive mature. ne quick, cling energy-saver that even the laziest gardener shouldnt very is shading the air conditioner.
Shading an air conditioner can increase its performance by 10 %- even if yu d n ther landscaping. Keep in mind that the general strategies just described dnt apply t all climates. Fr instance, if yu live in northern Maine, backing any summer sun isnt wrth the effort. Sculpting the Wind.
Wind has a powerful cling effect. Heat lss frm a buildings surface increases prprtinally t the square f the winds speed (i. e. , if wind speed double, heat lss quadruples). As any wh has experienced the wind-chill effect knw's, a strong wind can be the difference between feeling comfortable and freezing cld. A well-planned windbreak f trees and shrubs can be a may energy saver during the winter. Surprisingly, a slid barrier isnt the mst effective wind back.
A penetrable windbreak will create a larger wind show. A windbreak- which should be planted perpendicular t the prevailing winds- can reduce wind speed fr a distance up t fifteen times the height f the barrier. The maximum protection downwind frm a barrier is fund within five times the height f the barrier. A 25 -ft-high windbreak, fr example, should be placed within 125 feet f yur huse. Dense, conifers evergreens make gd windbreaks fr cld climates because they branch t the grund and provide effective wind cntrl year-rund. A spruce wind barrier can cut wind velocity by 80 %, swing a 12 -mile-per-hur wind t three miles per hur.
Taking int account the wind-chill effect, n a 20 degrees F day, that means the difference between what feels like be-zero temperatures and an also imperceptible cling breeze (similar t the breeze generated by walking). (4) Since windbreaks back air flw, wind speed increases through penis and at its upside edges (just like dammed water picks up speed at an pending). Windbreaks should extend 50 feet wider than the area yu are shielding (if this isnt possible, me the windbreak case t the huse and extend it as wide as yu can). The ideal windbreak should consist f a variety f trees- fr size, species, and growth rate- planted at case but staggered intervals s that there wnt be any gaps. If the wind by yur huse is very powerful, its important that yur windbreak trees have strong, well-anchored rts. Case a species that is well-suited t yur sil, and dnt stake yung trees. This will all them t develop a rt system that can handle high winds.
If the wind n yur property is s powerful that unstated trees up, stake them likely. While your waiting fr small trees t get, a fence can give immediate wind protection, and fast-growing trees and shrubs can provide mre within a couple f years. Be prepared t lse a few fast-growing trees t the wind and t remove them when they hinder yur ideal maturing windbreak trees. A windbreak fence should be lowered t increase the length f its wind show. (4) Here are sme considerations f hw t cl do the landscape. The increased wind speed created by penis in windbreaks can be used t yur advantage in ht climates and during the summer in temperate climates.
This assumes the prevailing summer winds cme frm a different direction than the winter nes. If they cme frm the same direction, case yur wind strategy by the size f yur utility bills, i. e. des it cst mre t heat r cl yur huse?
A funnel f trees r tall hedges that guide winds int yur huse can provide constant natural air-conditioning. The plants act like a large wind scp that can turn even light, unnoticeable prevailing winds int cling breezes. If the narrowest end f the funnel is covered by a breezeway r a tree with a high can, the cling effect is even better. (4) With the right landscape, money does grow on trees. Strategically placed trees and shrubs can help conserve energy, reduce air-conditioning costs and heating bills, and keep us comfortable in hot and cold climes.
Landscaping to conserve energy (and thus money) is, according to a 1992 EPA report, generally more effective than Venetian blinds, plastic (window) coatings, or heavy, reflective coatings on glass. According to the U. S. Dept. of Energy, strategically placed landscaping materials (plants and structures such as walls, berms and fences) can save homeowners 30 percent on all their utility bills. How long will it take to break even on your investment?
Researchers in southern Florida calculated a four-year payback for the full cost of a contractor-installed, energy conserving landscape. (8) If you do your own planting, ...
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Research essay sample on Eastern And Western Prevailing Winds
