Four Landscape Upgrades

These Four Landscape Upgrades May Eventually Result in Higher AC Expenditures

Did you know that some landscaping features could impact your air conditioner? If you make landscaping changes in the early spring when you aren't using your air conditioner, you will see the results much later. The following four landscaping upgrades may result in higher air conditioning expenditures.

One: Tree Removal

Inadequately spaced trees could cause your foundation to settle unevenly and send roots into your pipes, septic system, or both. However, you must know that cutting down a tree might affect your air conditioning unit.

Shade trees are frequently placed to prevent a west-facing wall or window from being exposed to the intense summer afternoon heat. By allowing the sun to shine directly on your property, such trees may increase the amount of summer heat gain that it experiences. As a result, your AC will have to work more, raising your AC bills.

If a tree that provides shade for your home is cut down, consider lessening the impact by installing shutters or awnings on the windows or trellising a vine that multiplies up the wall to provide immediate shade.

2: Including Asphalt or cement

Both concrete and Asphalt are good at raising the temperature around them and reflecting heat onto the walls and windows of your home. If you're thinking of constructing a driveway or patio adjacent to your house, think about the additional solar heat that will bring to the interior of your home and how that will affect your AC expenses.

To minimize or lessen the effects of new Asphalt or concrete near your home, you can design and construct the driveway or patio with a lighter-colored material, shade its surface, and add a hedge, a vine, or even thermal reflecting paint to the wall to keep the wall cooler.

3: Moving Trees or Trellises

Moving bushes and vines could raise your AC costs in several ways. The first is due to a missing shadow. If trellised vines or a hedge of shrubs successfully shade your sunny walls or windows, removing or shifting them may cause your home to retain more heat during the summer.

The second method of shifting bushes that might affect your air conditioner is placing them too close to the actual AC unit. It's unsuitable for an AC unit when brushes have huge, leafy branches that severely impede airflow near the ground. Keep all plants and other vegetation at least a few feet away on each side of the AC unit.

When growing a shrub or hedge next to an air conditioner, think about how wide it will get in the future rather than how much space there is currently around it.

4. Put in sprinklers.

Any condition that elevates water tables close to the foundation or prevents water from draining away from the structure may cause basement moisture levels to increase. The air quality in your home may be better if your foundation wall is completely waterproofed.

The moisture entering the space causes your basement to become more humid, spreading throughout the rest of the house. You frequently lower the thermostat and use more air conditioning when there isn't a dehumidifier since the excessive humidity makes the air feel warmer than it is.

If you already have a humidity problem, improved outside drainage and basement waterproofing may be beneficial. However, keep this in mind as you plan your landscaping tasks and avoid consistently adding moisture close to your foundation wall. Instead, choose gardening supplies that require little to no water.

These four landscape modifications may substantially impact the effectiveness or efficiency of your AC, raising your AC bills. Inadequate professional maintenance may also reduce AC efficiency. Therefore, if your unit needs maintenance or repairs, get in touch with the HVAC Repair Guide right away.