Energy Efficient Landscaping in Cyprus

From The  Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County, Maryland USA but equally applicable to Cyprus

I will publish a Plant List for Cyprus so that you can decide how to take forward such a design in your new Cyprus Home.

Landscaping is a natural and beautiful way to keep your home cool in summer and reduce your energy bills. In addition to adding aesthetic value and environmental quality to your home, a well-placed tree, shrub, or vine can deliver effective shade, act as a windbreak, and reduce overall energy bills.

There are some long term and attractive landscaping solutions which can provide effective winter climate control by deflecting cold winds and drafts, while providing indoor comfort and increasing property values.

It is important to note that for most homes, almost one third of all heat loss is due to cold winds, either through conduction, with heat simply “carried off” by marauding winds, or through infiltration, with cold drafts entering through and around cracks and improperly sealed
windows and doors.

Some landscaping choices like foundation planting will make a difference almost immediately, while others, like windbreaks, might take a number of years before their full value is realized. But any and all plantings will certainly boost property values and aesthetic quality.

Moreover, your planting scheme need not be massive. While establishing an effective windbreak may take a substantial number of trees, computer modeling by the U.S. Department of Energy has found that just three well placed trees, including a deciduous tree for shading
the southern side of a house, can save the average household 100/250 dollars in annual heating and cooling costs.

Overall, combining trees and shrubs can save from ten to 30 percent on winter fuel consumption, depending on how well insulated the home is already.

Foundation Plantings

Foundation plantings are undoubtedly the easiest and most satisfying landscaping elements in your pallette. Typically, you are looking to establish a continuous line of evergreens along the length of the foundation and around corners, approximately five feet out from the
house. This living wall of vegetation will create a dead air space of slow moving or still air between the shrubs and the house, effectively establishing an insulating layer which will reduce convective heat loss and infiltration.

Never allow the plants to grow much closer to the house than five feet. The dead air space needs to be of sufficient size to work, and the extra distance will help to prevent potential problems with mildew, insect pests, and humidity, which might lead to fungal diseases.
Visually, you will want to select different types of dense evergreens for your planting scheme, with varied heights, shapes, leaf textures and colors. Planting a simple row of junipers, for example, all growing at the same height, is both boring and impractical. Shrubs with different heights provide a more effective wind barrier, while a mixture of foliar colors and forms is more appealing to the eye.
Of equal significance, using the same species repeatedly increases the likelihood that a plant disease could spread from one shrub to another, even to the extent of wiping out the entire planting.

Windbreaks

Windbreaks are certainly the most effective components in cutting winter heat loss. A mature windbreak, normally comprised
of several rows of tall evergreens, can reduce wind velocity by up to 50 percent, and otherwise deflect or channel wind movement away from the house.

Unfortunately, in many urban areas, there may not be sufficient space for a fully developed windbreak, although new housing developments, especially with larger lots, are prime candidates. Also, while planting a single row of evergreens can provide some appreciable windbreak benefits, the textbook windbreak requires two or three rows of trees, planted in an “L” or “U” shape on the north and northwest corners of the home. That can mean a sizeable number of trees. Further, starting with cost effective container grown stock, it can take up to ten years or more before the trees will begin to pay for themselves, save for their aesthetic and environmental benefits.
However, few of us strive for textbook perfection, anyway. Even an incomplete or immature windbreak can start to deflect some wind movement. Also, while evergreen trees provide the greatest wind reduction, you can incorporate existing deciduous trees, fences, and walls on your property into a windbreak by adding additional evergreen trees and shrubs.

For the truly ambitious, an efficient windbreak should be about as tall as the house itself, and planted at a distance of one to three times the height of the trees away from the house. Where space permits, it is recommended to start the windbreak planting 50 feet beyond each windward corner of the house. The greatest impact of the windbreak will be on an area within approximately five times the height of the trees, although wind velocities are reduced for a distance up to ten times the height of the windbreak.

Depending on the mature diameter of the selected trees, space each evergreen between six and eight feet apart. If you can plant multiple rows, for maximum impact, stagger each of the trees in alternate rows, spacing each row 12/20 feet apart. As with the foundation plantings, select a variety of low branching evergreens for your windbreak, especially with respect to height and species, which will prevent disease outbreaks and ensure some wind penetration. Avoid growing a completely solid wall of evergreens, which can potentially create a vacuum effect on the protected side of the windbreak, thereby reducing its effectiveness.

With large scale windbreaks, it might be advisable to start with some fast growing species, and later interplant them with medium growth

Cyprus Property Help & Advice Centre™ ® ©
The Black Art of Buying Property in Cyprus™ ®
The Cyprus Informer™ ® ©
http://cyprusinformer.eu

Related posts:

1. Swimming Pools in CyprusSpecial report swimming pools by Sarah Antoniou Pool Party That first jump into the crystal clear water of your own swimming pool is a treasured moment. But how do you choose a pool appropriate for your needs and available space? Location The position of your pool will influence the feel of the immediate area. Think about whether you require shade,...
2. How to find a propertyEstate Agents UNTIL a couple of years ago, the author was not aware of a single British-run estate agency based in Cyprus. Today, looking at newspaper advertisements, there are several. Cypriot estate agencies abound aplenty and estate agents have woken up. While artists’ impressions remain the most common items typically displayed in the window at least the properties they portray...
3. “Our house in Cyprus is a very very very fine house”Dorian Kokas gives advice and helps foreigners cut through bureaucratic red-tape in Athens. What would the same situation be in Cyprus? This is my contribution to Dorian's story !! Greek Real Estate: Buying Property in Greece & Cyprus Real Estate: Buying Property in Cyprus Our house is a very very very fine house With paperwork so grand And taxmen on...
4. Periodic Dust Storms in CyprusPeriodic Dust Storms in Cyprus Several times a year Cyprus homeowners and gardeners suffer some warm wind gales which come from Africa and pick up fine dust and sand from the Sahara. Sometimes the gusts at the height of the storm large satellite dishes are moved off tune - costing a visit from your satellite installer. Unfortunately these are somtimes...
5. Mobile Home Sites in Cyprus – An New Attractive Proposition for UK InvestorsPeople will always wish to live in a climate as Cyprus is lucky to have.    Image courtesy of http://www.cyprus-lodgehomes.com/ So what do UK Investors know most about that the others do not?  Mobile and Lodge Homes is the answer.  There are many, many holiday and semi residential sites across the UK.  Spain and France have been "invaded" by the mobile...
6. Cyprus Property Market – A Survival Guide  The Cyprus Informer says "it is not a great time to buy off plan right now with the build in of big commissions and VAT which have to unwind. That might not unwind by appreciation over the next 2 years or so as the Cyprus market currently comes off boom if you wanted to sell quite quickly. But looking...
7. AboutJohn worked as a senior manager for a major bank in the UK for 33 years. He has two teenage children. His professional experience is in finance and business project management. He has worked in the international law department and been a principal negotiator of major contracts. He purchased a small house in Cyprus in 2000 off plan from Aristo, a...
8. Peyia StormsTuesday, November 07, 2006 Paying the Price for Rampant Development   DEPUTIES yesterday blamed overdevelopment for the catastrophic consequences of recent thunderstorms in Paphos, which killed two people and wrecked buildings and crops. “Nature may be slow, but it is punishing,” said DISY Deputy Costas Constantinou during yesterday’s meeting of the House Interior Committee, which met to discuss the possible...
9. Cyprus Public Transport ruled by private whimsPublic transport ruled by private whims You're an expat; what do you miss most about Britain? The usual things, probably: family and friends; 'proper' tea; your local pub; Marks and Spencer's undies. But the public transport system? Well, you might if you lived in Cyprus. Cyprus has the highest ratio of cars to population of any country in Europe. Over...
10. Sales agreements: all you need to know.The Law regarding Conveyancing Whether you are buying land, new development property or an existing property, the same legal procedure is followed: 1. The buyer and seller reach an agreement and a Sale Agreement is drawn up. 2. Four copies of this agreement are made and all of them are stamped at the District Land Registry Office. One of the...