A deciduous tree planted on the West, South, or East side of your home can save Summer home cooling energy costs up to 30%! The bonus is that leaves will fall off during the Winter months, allowing the sun to come through and help keep your home warm, giving your furnace a little break too! Look for fast-growing varieties to get your trees to fill in quickly and get the savings started! We have deciduous trees all around our house and we really notice how much they affect the temperature indoors. Fall is the perfect time to get planting!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.