Energy-efficient landscaping is a type of landscaping designed for the purpose of conserving energy. There is a distinction between the embedded energy of materials and constructing the landscape, and the energy consumed by the maintenance and operations of a landscape.
Design techniques include:
- Planting trees for the purpose of providing shade, which reduces cooling costs.
- Planting or building windbreaks to slow winds near buildings, which reduces heat loss.
- Wall sheltering, where shrubbery or vines are used to create a windbreak directly against a wall.
- Earth sheltering and positioning buildings to take advantage of natural landforms as windbreaks.
- Green roofs that cool buildings with extra thermal mass and evapotranspiration.
- Reducing the heat island effect with pervious paving, high albedo paving, shade, and minimizing paved areas.
- Site lighting with full cut off fixtures, light level sensors, and high efficiency fixtures
Energy-efficient landscaping techniques include using local materials, on-site composting and chipping to reduce greenwaste hauling, hand tools instead of gasoline-powered, and also may involve using drought-resistant plantings in arid areas, buying stock from local growers to avoid energy in transportation, and similar techniques.