Your HVAC system’s performance can be affected by many factors, including how you do your landscaping or gardening. Trees, shrubs and even garden furniture can have an impact on efficiency. Read on and learn how gardening affects HVAC performance.

Plant Carefully

The trees and shrubs you plant today can cause problems years from now — or not, if you plant carefully. When planting trees, think about how big they will get. Plant them at at least 30 feet from your home, and consider what will happen when limbs start growing over your roof.

To be sure, shade is a good thing, and it can diminish your utility bills considerably. Shade over your outdoor condenser is also helpful for letting it run cooler, and again, saving money on utilities. Just don’t let tree limbs that might break in a storm grow over it.

Shrubs planted along a wall can also cut down on utility bills by keeping solar radiation off walls and windows. Shrubs may also help with your winter bills by insulating exterior walls with a layer of air that can keep the cold from migrating inside walls and the foundation.

It’s also important to keep weeds and grass that grow around the condenser cut back so as not to impede airflow, which can damage the compressor. Also, when using the lawnmower and weedwhacker, position them so they don’t throw grass cuttings into the fins when you’re using them. This can damage the fins and cause problems with the air conditioning process.

Trim shrubbery back at least 2 feet around the condenser; likewise, keep garden furniture, container plants, tools or other obstructions such as walls or trellises a good distance from the unit.

Indoor Plants

If you “garden” indoors, be aware that lots of container plants indoors can raise humidity levels, so you may want to monitor relative humidity in the summer time. Also, pollinating plans may contribute to allergies, which may in turn require some kind of air purification system.

To learn more about how gardening affects HVAC systems, contact Powers Heating and Air. We serve Peachtree City.