Every home owner is looking for ways to lower their utility bills and save more money. Some focus too much inside the home and not enough outside. The top utility expense homeowner’s battle is the power bill and the number one offender is your air conditioning unit. Milam’s Tree Service can tell you that having the right shade tree can help your A/C unit not work so hard and will save you money.
Tree Placement in Landscape
Having the tree’s planted in the right places is key. If a tree can shade the air conditioning unit itself, this will help. The AC unit doesn’t only work to cool your house down but also needs to cool itself. If the compressor or AC unit is shaded, it won’t have to work extra hard to cool down. If you’re going to plant any shrubs or trees to help keep your unit cool, avoid planting to close. If there is not enough air flow this can damage your unit. If your choice of plant drops a lot of seed pods and leaves, make sure they don’t interfere with your unit to prevent any blockage of the vent. This too can cause over heating.
Fast Growing Shade Trees to Plant in Your Yard
Having larger trees covering your house and blocking the sun from traveling into your windows will also cool down your house greatly and save you more money. If you have an open yard with no trees or the trees you have are not placed in an advantageous area, you might want to consider planting some more trees. Milam’s Tree Service has some suggestion on what kinds of trees to plant that gives great shade and grows fast.
– Hybrid Poplar is a fast growing tree that grows 40 to 50 feet high and grows 8 feet a year. Poplars have very dense leaf coverage, giving plenty of shade. When poplars go to seed it will look like cotton wisps. Some don’t like the mess. However there are some hybrid poplars such as the Populus deltoides or the Populus nigra that are cottonless keeping the mess down.
– Nuttall Oak or otherwise known as Red Oaks, or Pin Oak is another fast growing tree that gives lots of shade. This tree grows into a pyramid shape with its leafy canopy. It will change color throughout the seasons. As this is a beautiful tree it does require some maintenance. Lower tree branches droop and will need trimming. If it doesn’t get enough chlorophyll the leaves will be yellow and won’t turn green. In this case you will need to give the tree supplements. If the tree remains healthy it will grow up to 40 to 60 feet tall.
– Weeping Willows are great shade trees that add unique characteristics to your home. It’s another fast growing tree that grow 6 to 8 feet a year and reaches up to 50 feet tall. Weeping willows can get 35 feet wide making this a great shade tree. Weeping willows are very adaptable and can adjust to many climate conditions. Some like this tree because it helps to prevent soil erosion and minimal tree litter.
– Paper Birch are not the fast growing trees as they grow anywhere from 1 to 2 feet a year. Nonetheless, it’s still faster growing then some. Mature paper birches can reach up to 70 feet tall and 35 feet wide. Some are drawn to this tree for its stunning white trunk. Trunks also can be tapped retrieving its sap to make birch syrup.
Tree Trimming & Removal in McDonough, Jackson, Jonesboro, Fayetteville & Hampton as well as Fayette, Clayton & Henry Counties in Central Georgia
There are other trees that are fast growing that provide great amounts of shade. To name a few more; the American Sycamore, Red maple, and the Northern Catalpa are all great candidates that will help reduce to amount of sun beaming at your home, giving your a/c unit some reprieve and lower your power bill.