By John Charles James

Few people realize what energy efficient landscaping can do to cut their heating and cooling cost but a yard that is well thought out can be a real energy saver.

The first advantage of energy efficient landscaping is to cut heating and cooling costs. With just a few well placed trees a family can experience a 25% reduction in their heating and cooling bills. Deciduous (leaf shedding) trees provide shade in the summer and allows sunlight to heat in the winter.

It has also been theorized that the planting of a large number of trees worldwide would lighten the color scheme of the landscape and reflect sunlight which would keep the world a cooler place.

Using trees as a windbreak is also a function of energy efficient landscaping. This is a proven technique to reduce heating costs. Evergreen trees and shrubs are the most common type of windbreak in use. Evergreens are most often planted to the north and northwest for this purpose.

Another way to cut your families expenses is to plant edible landscaping. Not only can this produce shading and windbreak benefits, it can also slash your home grocery bill.

Trees and shrubberies prevent soil erosion while fescue based lawns take very little water to maintain causing a reduction in water usage.

Energy efficient landscaping could be the most important long range investment in cutting back on heating and cooling costs. Planting pest resistant vegetation reduces pesticide use and will beautify the area.

Trees planted in clusters actually cool the surrounding area by as much as 15�. The use of low maintenance plants helps you conserve your energy by not creating as much work for you and reducing water, pesticide and fertilizer use.

Also consider using a reel mower if you have a smaller yard, this will cut down on the waste produced by energy burning models such as gas and electric motors.

So there you have it: Think about how you are going to make yours an energy saving house by planting trees and shrubs in your yard thus creating shade and wind breaks.

Find out more about thermal insulation and energy conservation by subscribing to my energy saving ideas [http://www.getenergysavingideas.com/optin-page.html] exclusive tips. It makes sense to get your house into an energy efficient state before you even think about investing major money in an expensive alternative energy scheme even if you can get a grant to defray some of the costs.

Read this article on what else you can do to save home energy by improving your home's landscaping [http://www.getenergysavingideas.com/saving-energy-by-improving-home-exteriors/]

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