When creating new landscapes, Refugia’s designers think strategically about plant placement in order to reduce energy and water consumption for land owners. By designing with natural light, wind, and water in mind, Refugia makes small changes that help achieve goals in resource conservation. For example, deciduous trees planted on the south facing sides of structures provide shade in the summer, but allow sunlight to stream through their bare branches in winter. This minimizes the need for both air conditioning and heating, and is a great cost reducing function of well planned landscapes. If planned appropriately, landscapes can reduce air conditioning costs by 15-50 percent! Read more about using landscaping to save energy through shading, wind breaks, and water conservation here.