Shade--by planting deciduous trees with high crowns to the south-east of your home and trees with low crowns to the west and south-west, you can decrease your air conditioning costs by 10% in 5 to 10 years. It's best to leave the south area of your yard open to allow passive solar heating in the winter. Remember to plan for shade around driveways, walkways and patios because those surfaces radiate and retain heat.
Windbreaks--can lower windchill near your home and trap snow to lessen drifts. Use dense evergreens and shrubs with low crowns and plant to the north and north-west of your home at a distance of two to five times the mature height of the tree/shrub.
Planting shrubs near your foundation creates air pockets that act as insulation in winter and summer. It's important to leave at least one foot of space more than the mature width of the shrub to prevent moisture problems (and leave elbow-room for maintenance).
