7 ways landscaping can help you save on energy costs

When it comes to saving on energy, people often focus on what’s happening inside their home. But what’s going on outside matters, too.

The way you design and maintain your yard can help regulate temperature around your home, making it easier to stay comfortable without overworking your heating or cooling systems.

Here are seven simple ways landscaping can help reduce energy use

1. Be strategic with plant and tree placement

Where you plant matters just as much as what you plant.

Trees and shrubs provide natural shade, especially on the south and west sides of your home where the sun is strongest in the afternoon. This helps reduce how much heat enters through windows and walls during warmer months.

A residential front yard features layered landscaping with evergreen trees, shrubs, flowering plants, and ground cover arranged along the front of a house.

2. Use grass and ground cover to cool the space around your home

What you put on the ground around your home effects how much heat builds up, which can impact your indoor temperature and energy costs.

Surfaces like concrete, gravel and stone tend to absorb and hold heat. Grass stays cooler and helps regulate the temperature around your home.

If grass isn’t the right fit for your space, ground cover — low-growing plants like clover or creeping thyme — can offer a similar cooling effect.

Even small changes, like adding more greenery along your home’s foundation, near sun-facing walls, or around patios and walkways, can help keep things more comfortable during hot summer days.

3. Limit surfaces that reflect heat towards your home

Some outdoor surfaces don’t just absorb heat. They can also reflect it.

Light-coloured or hard materials like concrete and stone bounce sunlight and heat back toward your windows and walls, increasing how much heat your home takes in.

Adding trees, shrubs, or garden beds near these areas can help absorb or block that heat before it reaches your home.

4. Choose hardscaping materials that don’t trap heat

If you’re planning a patio, walkway, or driveway, the materials you choose can make a difference.

Dark, dense surfaces tend to trap and hold heat, raising the temperature around your home. Lighter or more permeable materials, like wood, light stone, or pavers that allow water to drain through, stay cooler and release heat more quickly.

5. Opt for drought-resistant and native plants

Plants that are suited to local climates thrive more easily and require less maintenance.

Drought-resistant and native plants typically need less watering, which can help reduce overall resource use. They’re a simple way to create a yard that looks good, while working more efficiently behind the scenes.

6. Make watering more efficient with smart irrigation

If you use an irrigation system, small upgrades can go a long way.

Smart irrigation systems use timers or moisture sensors to water plants only when needed. This helps prevent overwatering, keeps your yard healthy and reduces unnecessary energy use associated with water systems.

7. Don’t overlook outdoor lighting

Outdoor lighting is another easy place to improve efficiency.

Switching to LED bulbs, adding motion sensors, or using solar-powered lights can help reduce electricity use without sacrificing safety, visibility, and decor. It’s a simple upgrade that can make a difference over time.

Small changes outside can add up

Landscaping doesn’t have to be complicated to make an impact.

From where you plant trees to the materials you choose, small changes around your home can help reduce heat, improve comfort, and lower energy use over time. It’s one more way to take control of your energy, both inside and outside your home.

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