Pepco and the Arbor Day Foundation Offer Free Trees to Enhance Energy Efficiency

Pepco and the Arbor Day Foundation Offer Free Trees to Enhance Energy Efficiency
 
The company will provide 730 trees to residential customers, helping lower energy costs, enhancing efficiency, and supporting sustainability.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 31, 2025) – Pepco customers can request a free tree to plant at their home as part of the company’s partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program. Residential customers can reserve a complimentary tree on a first-come, first-served basis and enjoy the energy-saving benefits that trees provide over time. 
 
Pepco will provide 730 free trees to customers across its service area. Customers can choose their tree from several types of species native to the northeast region, such as Baldcypress, River Birch, Eastern Redbud, Red Maple and Flowering Dogwood. Two hundred trees will be available for pick up on May 10 at Whalen Commons in Poolesville, Md., from noon to 3 p.m. The remaining 530 trees will be delivered by mail by the end of May. Visit arborday.org/Pepco to reserve a tree while supplies last. Pepco also reminds customers to know what’s below and call 811 to have utility underground lines marked before they begin planting.
 
"As our customers continue to face rising costs for many goods and services and also experience the impact of a changing climate, we remain committed to offering programs and resources that can help them save energy at home and make our communities more sustainable and resilient," said Valencia McClure, Pepco region president. "Our ongoing partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is helping improve green spaces, reduce energy use, lower carbon emissions, and overall supports a cleaner future for everyone. Together, we're making a greener tomorrow."
When planted correctly, trees provided through the program can reduce energy bills by 15 to 30 percent as they mature. These trees play a vital role in shielding homes from the summer sun and mitigating the chill of winter winds, resulting in improved energy efficiency. Additionally, they improve the quality of the air residents breathe. Customers can access interactive online tools from the Arbor Day Foundation to help them determine the best locations for planting trees to maximize energy savings.
“Growing thriving tree canopies is an instrumental part of building strong, healthy communities, and we rely on companies, municipalities, nonprofits, and utility providers to be bold in their belief that we can build better neighborhoods through trees,” said Kristen Bosquet, with the Arbor Day Foundation. “By empowering community members to plant trees today, Pepco is helping lay the groundwork for a better tomorrow.” 
 
 
The trees distributed by Pepco since beginning its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation in 2011 are expected to absorb more than 1 million pounds of air pollutants, save nearly 33 million kWh of energy and provide more than $12 million in combined energy and community benefits.
 
 
Pepco 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 at arborday.org.
 
To learn more about Pepco, visit The Source, our online newsroom. Find additional information by visiting pepco.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/PepcoConnect and on X, formally known as Twitter, at twitter.com/PepcoConnect. Pepco's mobile app is available at pepco.com/MobileApp.   
 
# # #
 
About Pepco
Pepco is a unit of Exelon (Nasdaq: EXC), a Fortune 200 company and the nation’s largest utility company, serving more than 10.7 million customers. Pepco provides safe and reliable energy service to approximately 944,000 customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
.
 
About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners.
And this is only the beginning.
 
The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.