Happy Arbor Day! It’s a well-known fact that trees help clean our air and drinking water, provide us with oxygen, and keep us cool. But did you know planting trees can also help with your energy bills?

According to Arborday.org, planting the right trees in the right places conserves energy and reduces your energy bills, while helping to fight climate change. For example, large deciduous trees planted on the east, west, and northwest sides of your home create soothing shade from the hot summer sun and reduce summer air conditioning costs by up to 35%.

Here are a few other tree facts to help you celebrate Arbor Day:

• Carefully positioned trees can reduce a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by up to 25%. Computer models devised by the U.S. Department of Energy predict that the proper placement of only three trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

• Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30% and can save 20–50% in energy used for heating.

• Carefully positioned trees can reduce a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by up to 25%. Computer models devised by the U.S. Department of Energy predict that the proper placement of only three trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

• Trees lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade. Shaded surfaces may be 20–45°F cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials. Trees cool the city by up to 10°F by shading our homes and streets and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.

• In one year, a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in exchange. Nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced from burning one gallon of non-ethanol gasoline.

Celebrate Arbor Day and plant a tree!