Windbreaks, made from rows of evergreen trees, provide more than just privacy and beauty to your landscape. They serve as natural barriers against harsh winds, helping to protect your home, reduce heating/cooling costs, provide privacy, reduce noise, and even increase property value. For eco-conscious homeowners, investing in evergreen windbreaks is a sustainable solution with significant energy-saving benefits. In this blog, we’ll explore how to create effective windbreaks to reduce heating/cooling costs and recommend the best evergreen trees for windbreaks that can protect your home and lower energy bills.
Why Windbreaks with Evergreens Work
Evergreen trees are ideal for windbreaks because they retain their foliage year-round, unlike deciduous trees that shed their leaves in the fall. This ensures continuous protection from the wind during the winter when cold drafts can drive up heating costs. Well-placed windbreaks to protect your home from wind damage help insulate your property, reducing the workload on your heating system and creating a more energy-efficient environment. Studies conducted in Pennsylvania indicate windbreaks can provide up to 15 percent energy savings on home heating and cooling costs. The effects of windbreaks are greater at higher wind velocities. (Heisler 1986/1990, DeWalle 1983)
Key Benefits of Evergreen Windbreaks:
- Energy Savings
By reducing wind speeds around your home, windbreaks can help lower heating costs by 10-25% (nationwide) during winter. Learning how to reduce energy bills with evergreen windbreaks becomes crucial for homeowners in climates with cold winter winds. Windbreaks deflect winds, thereby reducing drafts and heat loss inside the home. Properties sited on hills, mountainsides, or surrounded by wide open areas like in Charlestown, WV, Leesburg, VA, Mt. Airy, Potomac, and Middletown, MD, can see benefits in energy savings from evergreen tree windbreaks. - Increased Property Value
A well-planned evergreen windbreak saves energy, enhances curb appeal, and increases the value of your property. Fast-growing evergreens for windbreaks provide quick, effective results that appeal to potential buyers, adding beauty and function. Per a poll by the John Burns Real Estate Consulting Team, published in their article “22 Key Trends of 2022”, land and privacy were the #1 requirement for buyers when looking for a home. - Environmental Impact
Eco-friendly windbreak landscaping with evergreens is a sustainable way to improve your property while contributing to energy conservation. As a result, planting trees to reduce wind chill, you reduce energy consumption and your home’s carbon footprint. Additionally, windbreaks are excellent for noise reduction.
Best Evergreen Trees for Windbreaks
When selecting the best trees for windbreaks in Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia, and Northern West Virginia, it’s important to choose species that are hardy, fast-growing, and dense enough to block wind and provide privacy. Below are some top choices for windbreak trees to reduce energy use:
1. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja standishii x plicata)
- Why It Works: This fast-growing evergreen reaches up to ~2 feet per year on average in the Mid-Atlantic region, making it ideal for quickly establishing an effective windbreak. Its dense, year-round foliage makes it one of the best evergreen trees for windbreaks; plus, they are deer-resistant! Green Giant Arborvitaes are the most popular choice for windbreak trees to reduce energy use and privacy screening.
- Energy Benefits: The thick branches and dense year-round foliage help block cold winds, reducing drafts and thereby lowering heating costs.
2. Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
- Why It Works: Known for its soft needles and rapid growth, the Eastern White Pine is perfect for large estate properties. It’s highly resistant to cold temperatures but not as popular due to the tree thinning out as it gets larger. Also, they are prone to deer damage; therefore, you would want to use them in combination with a row or two of deer-resistant evergreen trees.
- Energy Benefits: Planting rows of Eastern White Pine creates a natural shield against cold winds, reducing the need for excessive heating. However, we do not advise planting in areas not fenced in due to the deer damage.
3. Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
- Why It Works: The Norway Spruce grows ~ 12-14 inches a year in our area, hardy and dense, making it ideal for blocking strong winds. Its tall, dense structure provides excellent wind protection and is one of the top evergreen windbreak trees for reducing heating bills. The Norway Spruce is usually deer-resistant. However, once they reach the mature stage the branches droop, making them less dense.
- Energy Benefits: Norway Spruce helps reduce wind speeds around your home, directly cutting down on energy loss.
4. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Why It Works: The Douglas Fir is known for its height and dense foliage, making it perfect for tall, effective windbreaks. This species thrives in colder climates and is a popular choice for windbreak tree placement to reduce energy use. Also, the Douglas Fir is generally considered deer-resistant and can grow up to 300 ft tall. I personally love the look of the Douglas Fir, but it does not tolerate our hot and humid summers well.
- Energy Benefits: A Douglas Fir windbreak provides strong resistance to winter winds, reducing heat loss from your home and lowering energy consumption.
5. Leyland Cypress (Cuprocyparis leylandii)
- Why it works: The Leyland Cypress is known for its fast growth of up to 3 ft per year, an excellent species for those that need windbreak privacy asap. However, due to having multiple leaders, they do not handle heavy snow well. Unfortunately, they are a favorite deer food. The damage leaves gaps in the bottom of the windbreak, requiring another row made up of deer-resistant evergreens, such as the Green Giant Arborvitae, to restore the windbreak’s energy efficiency.
- Energy Benefits: The Leyland Cypress provides a fast-growing windbreak, thus reducing your energy costs sooner.
How to Design and Plant Windbreaks for Energy Efficiency
Designing a windbreak with evergreen trees requires more than just planting a single row of trees. Proper spacing, placement, and layering are essential for maximizing energy savings and wind protection. We are here to assist with your planning!
1. Optimal Spacing for Windbreaks
- To create effective windbreaks to protect homes from wind damage, we recommend that Green Giant Arborvitaes be planted in rows spaced 5-7 ft apart, with trees spaced ~5-7 feet apart. This allows for healthy growth while maintaining a dense, wind-blocking barrier. Most small lots require only one row of evergreen trees for a windbreak.
2. Strategic Placement for Energy Savings
- Place windbreaks on the north and west sides of your home to block the cold winds that typically come from those directions. Windbreak tree placement to reduce energy use is crucial for ensuring your home stays protected from the prevailing winter winds. However, you must also consider the microclimate immediately surrounding your home. When landscaping for energy efficiency, it’s important to consider your microclimate and regional climate. Homes along the Chesapeake Bay receive high winds from the east and southeast as it blows across the bay. Therefore, placing a windbreak on the north and west sides is not the only area to consider in these microclimates. Homes in Annapolis, Gibson Island, and Kent Island can dramatically reduce the effects of strong cold winds coming off the bay with windbreaks. We have installed thousands over the years for homeowners and marinas along the bay. Strategically planning windbreaks for your home, combined with open areas for proper air circulation, is essential for optimum energy savings.
3. Layering for Maximum Wind Reduction
- For the best results, consider planting multiple rows of evergreens in a staggered pattern. This layering creates a more substantial barrier, offering increased protection and better energy savings. Combining fast-growing evergreens for windbreaks like the Green Giant Arborvitae with other species can create a multi-layered defense against the elements. Most of Maryland, DC, and Virginia have a large population of deer, so we recommend considering deer-resistant evergreens unless the planting area is enclosed with 6ft+ fencing.
Energy-Saving Impact of Evergreen Windbreaks
The impact of well-designed windbreaks on energy savings is substantial. Energy-saving windbreak trees can reduce wind speeds around your home, saving up to 25% (nationwide) on heating costs in the winter, per the U.S. Department of Energy. Homes with properly placed windbreaks experience less heat loss, as windbreaks slow air movement around the house, keeping warm air inside.
Homeowners frequently ask us how to reduce energy bills with evergreen windbreaks. We have found homeowners are looking for sustainable ways to manage their energy use while adding privacy to their homes. Windbreaks are an easy way to accomplish both! Thus, investing in windbreaks to reduce heating costs contributes to a more energy-efficient and eco-friendly household.
Evergreen Windbreaks for Energy Efficiency and Property Protection
Creating windbreaks with evergreen trees is an investment that pays off in energy savings and home value. By strategically planting fast-growing evergreens for windbreaks like the Green Giant Arborvitae, you can shield your home from cold winds, reduce heating costs, and protect your property from wind damage. As we have recently witnessed in the news, hurricanes and tornadoes don’t only cause wind damage along the coastline.
For eco-conscious homeowners looking to reduce energy bills and create a sustainable, aesthetically pleasing landscape, evergreen windbreaks are the ideal solution. Whether you’re looking to reduce energy use or enhance your property’s value, evergreen windbreaks offer long-term benefits that will keep paying off year after year. We at Pryor’s Nursery are here to assist you with strategically planning and installing your windbreak project.
