Trees Reduce Energy Costs

Trees help to modify local climate by lowering air temperature, increasing humidity, influencing wind speeds and reducing glare. In the warmer months of the year, urban areas realize lower air temperatures when trees are strategically planted along streets and near buildings. These trees provide shade and evaporation of water through the transpiration process. The evaporation from a single large tree can produce the cooling effect of 10 room-sized air conditioners operating 24 hours a day. Communities in which homeowners utilize trees in their landscaping also benefit. When homeowners properly place trees in landscaping they benefit from savings on daytime air conditioning. For example, three or more large trees strategically placed on the sunny sides of a house will provide enough shade to reduce air-conditioning costs by as much as 30 percent. Trees also help with energy costs in the winter by blocking cold winds thereby reducing the strain on heating units. These energy savings, when spread over many houses, neighborhoods and urban areas, can reduce the demand for power production by utility plants, which also reduce the amount of air pollutants produced by these power plants.