Pepco Partners with Arbor Day Foundation to Provide Free Trees to Customers
Customers reminded to always call before you dig to ensure you know what’s below
Pepco is providing 1,175 free trees to residential customers through the Energy-Saving Trees program, an initiative that helps customers conserve energy and reduce household energy bills through strategic tree planting. For the eighth year, Pepco is taking part in this important environmental program. Customers can reserve one free tree per household by visiting www.arborday.org/pepco. Customers should have their Pepco account number available when ordering the free tree.
The one-gallon, two- to four-foot potted tree will be delivered directly to customers while supplies last. Available tree species include eastern redbud, northern red oak, crape myrtle, river birch, and red maple.
“The Energy-Saving Trees program provides important environmental and costs saving benefits for our valued customers. In addition, the program is a great way to enhance the beauty of homes and neighborhoods, while also helping our customers save money on their monthly energy bills,” said Donna Cooper, Pepco region president. “As these trees grow they provide shade for the home during the hot summer months, which helps bring down air-conditioning expenses.”
Shade trees can reduce residential cooling costs by up to 30 percent, while in the winter months trees reduce wind speeds and infiltration of cold air into homes, thereby reducing heating costs. The Arbor Day Foundation calculates that the 1,175 trees are estimated to produce nearly $380,000 in energy savings within 20 years for Pepco customers.
The Energy-Saving Trees online tool assists Pepco customers in finding the most strategic location for planting and estimates the annual savings. Customers using the on-line tool can call the Arbor Day Foundation for technical help at 1-855-670-2771.
The online tool was created by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Davey Institute, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Co., and uses peer-reviewed scientific research from the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree Software to calculate estimated benefits.
Pepco reminds customers to know what’s below and call 811 to have utility-owned underground lines marked before digging. One free call to 811 connects you to the region’s One Call, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811.
To learn more, visit The Source, Pepco’s online news room. Find additional information about Pepco by visiting www.pepco.com. Follow the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at www.witter.com/pepcoconnect. Pepco’s mobile app is available at www.pepco.com/mobileapp.