Nelson,+Cara.

=Cara Nelson=

M.S. Natural Resources: Policy and Administration Graduated December 2011 Topic: Influences of Landscape and Lifestyle on Home Energy Consumption Advisor: Melissa McHale Committee: Nils Peterson, Fred Cubbage Thesis: []

Nelson, McHale, Peterson, Grove. In Review. Influence of Landscape and Lifestyle on Home Energy Consumption. Urban Ecosystems.

M.S. THESIS ABSTRACT - Rapid urbanization coupled with concern about global climate change has renewed interest in energy conservation and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction. Enhancing ecosystem level carbon sequestration is debated as a viable solution, along with increasing the use of renewable fuels, but one guaranteed method for attaining lower levels of CO2 emissions is to directly reduce the emissions at their source. Urban residents contribute significantly to overall emissions, instigating some focus on how to reduce residential emissions. Research has shown urban trees can reduce the heat island effect, sequester carbon, and when planted strategically, reduce the energy used in homes. For these reasons, trees have been considered to be one method for helping achieve citywide reduction targets. Home energy savings from urban trees have mostly been calculated with models because quantification is complicated by many factors affecting residential energy use. However, new approaches using empirical data have found that savings from trees may not be as significant as other energy factors, such as building characteristics and human behaviors. In this study, I evaluated relationships among lifestyle choices, tree cover, and household energy consumption by determining the most influential variables for home energy use in the summer, ascertaining the role trees play for home cooling, and determining how lifestyle choices and environmental attitudes affect energy consumption in Raleigh, NC. I sampled four neighborhoods that represented a range in socioeconomic status to account for economic diversity and lifestyle group. To ensure that various levels of tree cover were represented in each neighborhood, I implemented a stratified random sample with 44 residences per group and four levels of tree cover (0-25, 25-50, 50-75, and 75-100 percent). Statistical analysis of the data indicated that the most explanatory variables affecting summertime home energy use were building characteristics, demographics, and human behaviors. Total percent tree cover 18 m around the home did not affect summertime energy use. However, the number of trees taller than 6 m and within 18 m of the home for certain azimuth categories was significant in the home energy use model. Each additional tree in the NW quadrant decreased total monthly energy use by 3.5%, while each additional tree in the NE quadrant increased total monthly energy use by 3.9%. These results indicate that planting trees may not be a successful strategy for reducing energy use from the residential sector in Raleigh, NC, but efforts should be aimed at conservation and efficiency.