Eco Arbor Designs
It may come as a surprise at first given their aesthetic nature, but arbors can serve valuable purposes in regards to creating an ecologically sound home and garden. From energy conservation to helping increase the productivity and health of your garden, the right arbors and trellises can really make an eco-friendly addition to your home.
Lower Energy Bills with Natural Shade Canopies
One of the more energy intensive appliances in the home is the air conditioner. During hot summer days central air conditioning can be drawing over 6 kilowatts, which is more than the entire rest of the home will likely draws on average. Almost 3 times as much as the average home in fact.
This is a lot of electricity going to try to offset the heating effects of the sun. It’s no wonder that it’s such a big task, as sunlight delivers a kilowatt of energy per square meter, and there’s an awful lot of square meters surface area on your home.
Thankfully the sun is never shining on all sides of your house at once, which dramatically decreases the amount of energy it absorbs. The insulation factor on your roof and siding can help mitigate this as well. Still, a lot of energy is left to the air conditioner to offset.
This is where arbors and other types of trellises can really be a big boon. The leaf canopy of vines growing on the arbor will intercept some of the sun’s radiation before it can heat the house, and thus save you lots of money on your electric bills.
Arbors on the South side of homes are especially useful in the Northern Hemisphere, given the inclination of the sun in the sky. In some cases people literally cover their south facing walls with ivy growing on arbors and trellises, which can often negate the need for air conditioning completely. Now that’s what I call “green living”!