The value of shade: Estimating the effect of urban trees on summertime electricity use

We estimated the effect of shade trees on the summertime electricity use of 460 single-family homes in Sacramento, California. Results show that trees on the west and south sides of a house reduce summertime electricity use, whereas trees on the north side of a house increase summertime electricity...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy and buildings 2009-06, Vol.41 (6), p.662-668
Main Authors: Donovan, Geoffrey H., Butry, David T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Buildings
Buildings. Public works
Carbon
Computation methods. Tables. Charts
Economics
Electricity
Emissions control
Energy conservation
Exact sciences and technology
Houses
Residential building
Shade
Shades
Structural analysis. Stresses
Trees
Types of buildings
Urban development
Urban trees
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Summary:We estimated the effect of shade trees on the summertime electricity use of 460 single-family homes in Sacramento, California. Results show that trees on the west and south sides of a house reduce summertime electricity use, whereas trees on the north side of a house increase summertime electricity use. The current level of tree cover on the west and south sides of houses in our sample reduced summertime electricity use by 185 kWh (5.2%), whereas north-side trees increased electricity use by 55 kWh (1.5%). Results also show that a London plane tree, planted on the west side of a house, can reduce carbon emissions from summertime electricity use by an average of 31% over 100 years.
ISSN:0378-7788
DOI:10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.01.002