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...the day, and how much evapotranspiration will occur around the home. And the orientation of the building, along with the configuration of the vegetation, will affect that building's energy consumption. But what are the actual savings that homeowner living in a hot-dry climate can reasonably expect in return for planting some trees and other vegetation around his or her home? This question has never been definitely answered.
In the last 15 to 20 years, several studies have attempted to quantify the impact of vegetation on the energy consumption of buildings. Urban climatologists and those involved in urban forestry have generally conducted the research. Scientists at the Center for Urban Forest Research in Davis, California, have been studying the structure of urban forests and quantifying the benefits and costs of urban vegetation. Virtually all of this research has been conducted with computer simulations, but it has yielded some promising results regarding the benefits of vegetation--particularly trees--in reducing residential energy consumption.
A 1989 study by Gregory McPherson and Eileen Dougherty estimated that for homes located in Tucson, Arizona, planting shade trees could reduce annual energy costs by 2%-11% for 1980s frame construction, and 2%-9% for 1950's type masonry construction. Studies conducted in 1995 by Gregory McPherson and James R. Simpson (see "Shade Trees as a Demand-Side Resource" HE Mar/Apr '95, p. 11) and in 1998 by Gregory McPherson, et al. also documented the energy benefits of reduced solar radiation on buildings.
More than one study has found that winter energy consumption is increased when vegetation blocks the advantageous solar radiation; however, these studies found that in southern and coastal climates, the summer savings far exceeded the winter penalty.
An Empirical Study
In a departure from the methodology of the previous studies, we conducted an empirical study of 105 existing homes in the metropolitan Tucson area. The study examined and quantified the actual relationship between vegetation and residential energy consumption in a hot-dry environment. The study homes were a mix of masonry (high-mass) construction, generally built between 1930 and the late 1970s, and frame-and-stucco (low-mass) construction, generally built in the 1980s and 1990s.
Data were collected from a variety of sources in an effort to obtain as much information as possible about the study homes. Homeowner surveys collected information about the physical structure. This included type of construction, age, size, and color of the house; type of heating and cooling equipment; any amenities that would affect energy consumption (such as pools and spas); and type of thermostat (programmable or nonprogrammable). Homeowners were asked to document the number of hours the house was occupied during a typical week and weekend. They were also asked to document their typical daytime and nighttime thermostat settings for both summer and winter (see "Thermostats Matter" p. 40). This information included whether they...
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