Urban trees can keep buildings warm by protecting them from wind

Trees shield buildings from energy-loss by blocking wind. Image source: Shutterstock (#109920329), pictures Central Park, NYC.

A recent study has offered new knowledge that might help local governments design buildings, streets and city blocks to enhance peoples’ comfort while also preventing energy loss. It found that trees in cities can help substantially lower heating costs by reducing the wind pressure on buildings.

“Wind pressure is responsible for as much as a third of a building’s energy consumption,” said Marco Giometto, who wrote the paper as a civil engineering postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia (UBC). “We were surprised to find such a dramatic decrease in wind speed.”

The results of the study were published in the journal Advances in Water Resources.

Why not share this article?