Fast Growing Shade Trees to Lower Your Energy Bill

Here in North Texas we certainly know what it’s like to watch our energy bills spike in the summer. After all, we basically need to have our air conditioners running 24/7 in the hot Texas heat.

Fast growing shade trees are an excellent way to help lower your energy bills for years to come. But how do you pick the right trees to lower utility bills? And how do you know where to plant them?

Don’t worry! We’ve created this blog post to tell you all about fast growing shade trees and where you should strategically plant them to keep your home cool and your utility bill down in the summer.

Where to Plant Shade Trees

There are a few ideal locations to plant shade trees. These include:

• The west side of your home.
• To the west of any windows that are in rooms, you frequent during the day.
• To the west of any exterior walls of rooms, you are frequently in during the day.

Of course, you need to know that you have the proper clearance for your shade tree so that it doesn’t grow to obstruct driveways, your home, or other structures on your property. We can help you with a planting design based on the shade trees you’ve chosen for your home.

Fast Growing Shade Trees for Your North Texas Home

Whether you’re living in your forever home, or you know you’ll be in your current home while the kids grow up, it’s smart to use trees to lower utility bills. Not only does the shade provided by these trees reduce the interior temperature in your home, but they also add to your home’s curb appeal and provide a place for neighborhood wildlife to live.

There are many fast growing shade trees that you should consider for your Dallas/Fort Worth home. Here’s a list of our favorite options:

• Hybrid Poplar

The hybrid poplar just might be the shade tree that Arborists recommend the most! This tree, which grows an average of 8 feet a year, can grow to be as tall as 40 to 45 feet. With this type of height, the tree can very quickly provide you with ample shade of your Dallas/Fort Worth home.

There are a variety of different hybrid poplar trees to choose from. We often recommend homeowners select the Populus deltoides x Populus nigra variety, which is a “cottonless variety,” because it sheds less and is less messy for your yard and walkways.

• Nuttall Oak

You may know this tree by its alternative names of red oak or pin oak. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s a great shade tree!

The Nuttall Oak is the fastest-growing oak tree. This means it quickly provides a great, leafy canopy to shade your home from the hot Texas heat. Homeowners who live outside of the city and in more rural areas also love this tree because it produces a lot of acorns, which are enjoyed annually by wildlife including turkeys, squirrels, and deer.

• Northern Catalpa

The northern catalpa is known for its thick canopy, large leaves, and large flowers. It is also sometimes called a cigar tree or a catawba. While these trees are great trees to lower utility bills if you or a family member is allergic to bees you should beware. This tree is well-known for attracting these flying, buzzing insects.

• Red Maple

The red maple provides ample shade in the summer, and beautiful foliage in the fall, during which time it turns red. The tree grows about 3 to 5 feet per year. On average, red maples grow to be about 40 feet tall.

• Weeping Willow

The weeping willow is an easily recognizable tree. It’s also a great shade tree for North Texas homeowners.

These iconic trees grow anywhere from 3 to 8 feet tall per year. They are ideally suited for areas near water, but there are varieties that can be planted and thrive in drier areas, too.

• Paper Birch

This fast-growing shade tree is also unique because it has white bark. This makes it a favorite among homeowners who are looking not only to reduce their utility bills by planting shade trees but adding an ornamental tree that will boost their home’s curb appeal, too.

• American Sycamore

Among the tallest of our recommended shade trees, the American sycamore is sometimes also called the American planetree. It can grow to be as tall as 70 feet!

While you may think such a tall tree would only be well-suited for rural areas, think again. Many urban Dallas/Fort Worth homeowners choose this tree for their properties, too.

Let Us Help You Select and Plant Shade Trees

While the above list outlines some of the fastest-growing shade trees, there are several factors to consider when choosing a tree for your home, including how much clearance it’ll need, whether or not your soil is appropriate to help the tree thrive, and how much maintenance the tree will require every year.

We can help you with these details. To select a shade tree for your home and have it professionally planted, call us at tel:(817) 592-6846.

To learn more about What’s the Life Expectancy of Trees in North Texas?, call our Argyle and Southlake based teams at tel:(817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

We’re a little different than the average tree services company.

Learn more about TreeNewal’s ISA Certified Arborists!

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Healthy trees, healthy lives.