Hiding an Air Conditioner

Don't let your air conditioner be the eye sore in your backyard. Try one of these affordable solutions to improve the view and keep your air conditioner running smoothly.

Structures, trellises with vines or plantings can help improve the view and shade your air conditioner so it runs efficiently reducing energy consumption by as much as 10%. A trellis with vines can provide screening when space is limited.

Use a few strategically placed plants to improve the view. Shenandoah switchgrass grows upright about 3 feet tall. Stagger in a few perennials for additional color. Zagreb coreopsis grows 20 inches tall and bears yellow flowers all season. Walker's Low catmint completes this heat and drought tolerant trio.

Not only does it look better, but shading your air conditioner, leaving plenty of room for airflow helps it run more efficiently.

A bit more information: Plant shade trees on the east and west side of your home to reduce energy absorbed through the window. Large shade trees can reduce attic temperatures by as much as 40 degrees and their shade can help air conditions run 2 to 4% more efficiently. Lawns also help cool the environment. Grassy areas are typically 30 degrees cooler than asphalt surfaces and 15 degrees cooler than bare soil.

Tags

garden-landscape-design support drought threadleaf-coreopsis catmint switchgrass

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