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My neighbor in the North Valley said my gravel yard was a 'heat trap' and hurting my home's value.
I always thought the low water use was worth it, but she pointed out how much hotter my house felt compared to hers with a few native plants. I checked my summer electric bill and it was over $300, mostly from AC. So last month, I put in three desert willow trees and some gravel mulch on the south side. Has anyone else made a change like this and seen a real difference in their cooling costs?
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river_gonzalez665mo ago
Oh man, that's so smart! I read an article about how all that bare rock and gravel just soaks up the sun and blasts the heat right back at your walls. My cousin in Tucson swapped out some gravel for a couple of palo verde trees and some decomposed granite, and he said his AC doesn't kick on nearly as much in the afternoons now. Those desert willows should give you some great shade once they fill in. Really curious to see how your next electric bill looks!
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the_julia5mo ago
My neighbor in Phoenix did something similar last year with agave plants and lighter colored gravel. She said her patio feels about ten degrees cooler in the summer evenings now. That article you mentioned, @river_gonzalez66, totally lines up with what she told me about heat islands. It's wild how much the ground cover itself can change the temperature around your house. I'm hoping more people try this because it just makes sense for hot places.
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blair_davis4mo ago
Did you notice a difference in how fast the gravel itself cools down after sunset compared to the dirt or concrete? Trying to figure out if it's more about the color or the type of ground cover.
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