Scroll through the pictures above to see different views of the site
EXISTING CONDITIONS
My home is located in a very densely shaded area of Waco. Being right near the lake, our neighborhood and the surrounding ones are fairly green, especially in the wet seasons. The expected total savings is approximately $371 in the current year.
This yard is consistently made up of different trees such as Live Oaks, Crapemyrtles, and Junipers. It is estimated that the trees will intercept around 22,847 gallons of stormwater in one year. This isn’t surprising since there are so many large oaks both in the front and back of the home. Urban stormwater runoff (or "non-point source pollution") washes chemicals (oil, gasoline, salts, etc.) and litter from surfaces such as roadways and parking lots into streams, wetlands, rivers, and oceans. The more impervious the surface (e.g., concrete, asphalt, rooftops), the more quickly pollutants are washed into our community waterways. Drinking water, aquatic life, and the health of our entire ecosystem can be adversely affected by this process. These trees control runoff by holding water on their leaves, increasing infiltration and storage through its root system, and reducing soil erosion by slowing down the speed of the rain before it hits the ground.
Solar Energy is probably not the best idea if one does not want to remove any existing trees. This year, the selected trees will save the owners approximately 658.1 Kilowatt-Hours of electricity and reduce consumption of heating fuel by 9.6 therms. These shade trees reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the structure. These strategically places trees are increasing the home’s efficiency. The trees that are shading the east and west sides of the structure are keeping it cooler in the summer months. Over the next 10 years, these trees will conserve a total of 6,792.7 Kilowatt-hours of electricity and reduce consumption of heating fuel by 116.1 therms.
The existing trees are extremely beneficial to different ecosystem services. First, they are reducing the amount of pollutants in the stormwater runoff and, in return, cooling the air through evapotranspiration. They also are providing shelter and food for different animals and insects that positively affect the surrounding ecosystems. We have squirrels, butterflies, bees, etc. I would recommend to not delete or add any trees to the site.
ADDITION OF PHOTO-VOLTAIC SOLAR PANELS
The addition of solar panels will save the owner approximatley 6,012 kWh per year and annual savings of up to $610. However, the addition of solar panels is not necessarily needed due to the dense shade of decidious trees especially on the south side of the home. If the owners were to remove some trees then solar panels would be more of a practical option.
REDUCING ANNUAL ENERGY USE
The amount of energy used is already low due to the dense shade from the existing trees. However, if you added low shrubs on the south side of the home and lower to the ground. This will begin to cool the air before it reaches the home. Also, adding a couple of smaller decidious trees on that south side as well will promote more evapotranspiration causing the air around the home to be cooled.
ADDITION OF 200 SQ. FT. SOLAR PANELS
Above is the proposed location for 200 sq. ft. of solar panels situated on the south side of the home and the solar calculator. The south side of the home sees the sun more than other locations. Therefore, you would want to put your panels on the location that has the most sun exposure. With the removal of a couple oak trees, these panels would be fairly successful. With the removal of trees, however, the different ecosystem benefits decrease slightly. Not as much stormwater will be absorbed causing slightly more flooding which could then begin to destroy smaller ecosystem communities.
