Cooling plants are a great way to say goodbye to the heat without having to open a bunch of windows or using fans in hopes of getting some air into the home. As the seasons begin to change and the heat finds its way into our homes — it's important to note that natural remedies such as houseplants can go a long way. But can these plants really cool your home? We've spoken to an expert to find out just that.
Lorin Nielsen, a plant expert and Head Horticulturist from Epic Gardening tells us: 'NASA’s Earth Science division studied how plants affect the atmosphere via transpiration. In transpiration, plants gradually evaporate water through their leaves, thus directly cooling the ambient air temperature around the plant via evaporative cooling methods. And on a global scale, that does have an impact; the more plants that are transpiring, the cooler the general atmospheric temperature will be, although we’re talking fractions of a degree to, at most, a degree or two cooler. So yes, plants can have a cooling effect at a global level. However, at a residential level, the effects will be minimal, at best'.
