When it comes to comfort and efficiency, the beauty of trees is matched by their utility. Strategically planted trees around your home create a beautiful landscape while also providing energy savings all year round. Deciduous trees that shed leaves in the autumn can provide shade to cool a home in the summer, while allowing sunlight and its warmth into the interior of the home in the winter. Well placed conifers and other evergreen trees and shrubs can deflect or block winter’s harshest winds.

Cooling

Trees can shade a roof and walls from the hot summer sun. They will also create a cooler atmosphere around the home, cooling sidewalks and driveway that normally reflect heat. They are able to do this through a transpiration process that cools the air around them, acting as natures evaporative coolers. According to one study, cooling costs can be cut by 50 percent if half of the roof is shaded. Shading the air conditioner will also improve its efficiency by 10 percent.

When planting trees and shrubs around your home:

• Consider the seasonal sun angles when planting for sun shade. Buildings with large south or west exposures need shad mid to late afternoon.
• Medium to large trees provide excellent cooling because they shade both home and yard, helping to cool both the structure and the surrounding areas. [click to continue…]

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Here are some helpful safety tips to keep in mind when working outdoors near power lines.

• Assume all overhead and buried lines are energized or carrying electricity.
• Never touch any line hanging from a power pole or laying on the ground, or anything it is touching. Keep others away and call the electric utility.
• Do not attempt to remove branches or trees that have fallen on the lines. Call the local electric utility.
• Look Up! Locate power lines before climbing a ladder, trimming limbs from a tree, or climbing on your roof.
• Do not use aluminum ladders or metal tree pruning equipment near power lines. Electric current can travel through your tools or ladder through you and to the ground.
• When plans call for digging a hole for planting a tree or dig a trench be sure to call and have your utilities located. Never assume that the utilities are buried deeper than you plan to dig.
• Remember ” the right tree in the right place.” To avoid future/power line conflicts, plant trees away from power lines or plant trees that will grow less than 25 feet at maturity.
• When planting trees or shrubs near ground mounted transformers be sure to maintain a 3-foot clearance to the sides and back of the transformer. Equipment inside the box generates heat and needs air circulation to keep cool and run efficiently. Overheating could cause an outage.

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