River birch trees are some of the free trees being distributed by AC Electric.
MAYS LANDING Atlantic City Electric customers can now request a free tree to plant at their home thanks to the company's partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees program. Through the program, residential customers can reserve free energy-saving trees to help provide shade to their homes and enhance the natural beauty of their homes and neighborhood. Trees are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
As part of the company' Earth Month and Arbor Day celebrations this April, Atlantic City Electric is offering free trees to customers across its South Jersey service area. Trees provided through the program offer cost saving benefits to customers as they grow as well as tangible environmental benefits for communities through improved air quality, reduced stormwater runoff, carbon reduction, and beautification of the neighborhoods we call home.
We are so pleased to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation again this year in order to provide these free trees that have so many environmental, energy saving, and money saving benefits for our customers and communities, said Marisa Slaten, director of Corporate Community Impact for Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric. From helping customers connect their solar with the local energy grid, laying the platform for electric vehicle charging and mass electric transportation, to programs like this, we are partnering with our customers in many ways to support a cleaner energy future and a better environment for all.
This year, Atlantic City Electric is providing 800 trees to residential customers. Customers can choose from several species, including baldcypress, river birch, eastern redbud, red maple and white dogwood all trees that are native to the northeast region. The trees in 1-gallon pots will be delivered via mail by the end of May.
To reserve a tree, visit arborday.org/ace or call 855-670-2773. Before planting a tree, Atlantic City Electric reminds customers to know what's below and call 811 to have utility-owned underground lines marked before digging.
Properly planted trees can provide many benefits, such as reducing energy use through summer shading and by slowing winter winds. As trees grow, they have the potential to lower energy bills by 30 percent. Interactive tools are available online through the Arbor Day Foundation to help customers determine the best place to plant their tree for energy savings.
The trees distributed by Atlantic City Electric since beginning its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation are expected to absorb more than 476,000 pounds of air pollutants, save 32.2 million kWh of energy, and provide more than $11.5 million in combined energy and community benefits,
We are proud to partner with Atlantic City Electric for the 11th consecutive year. Through this partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Atlantic City Electric is doing outstanding work in the areas of energy efficiency, customer engagement, and community resilience, said Kristen Bousquet, program manager at the Arbor Day Foundation. This unique program benefits utility providers, their customers, and the communities they serve by finding natural ways to conserve energy. Atlantic City Electric has distributed more than 17,000-yard trees to customers, and these trees planted in the right place can help homeowners save up to 30 percent on their electric bill.
Atlantic City Electric is committed to the environment and always works toward delivering a cleaner and brighter future for our customers and communities. Through the Sustainable Communities Grants program, Atlantic City Electric provides funding to support open space preservation, improvements to parks and recreation resources, environmental conservation, and innovative community resiliency projects across their service area. Additionally, Atlantic City Electric's Climate Commitment and Path to Clean goals focus on aligning the company's operations, grid investments, and customer product offerings and services with the climate change and clean energy goals of the regions it serves.
Atlantic City Electric has also been a Tree Line USA member for more than 20 years. Tree Line USA is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters that recognizes public and private utilities for pursuing best practices that protect and cultivate America's urban tree canopy.
Learn more about urban planting work done by the Arbor Day Foundation here at www.arborday.org
