All Stories

Atlantic City Electric Giving Free Trees to Help Customers Save Energy

For the ninth year, Atlantic City Electric is supporting the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program by giving away more than 1,000 trees to residential customers. This initiative helps customers conserve energy through strategic tree planting. Starting Arbor Day, customers can reserve one free tree per household by visiting arborday.org/ace.

Customers can choose from a wide selection of trees, including Bald Cypress, River Birch, Serviceberry and Sweetgum —available in varying sizes.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and Stay at Home Orders in New Jersey, all trees will be delivered to each customer’s home between four and six weeks from when an online reservation is completed. Trees will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Tree wills be available for Atlantic City Electric residential customers only. Customers who don’t have internet access can call 855-670-2771 to reserve their trees.

Through the Arbor Day Foundation’s website, customers will have the power to explore interactive tools that can help them determine the best location on their property to plant their tree for energy savings benefits.

Throughout a tree’s growth period, trees have the potential to lower energy bills by 20 percent. Additionally, trees provide benefits to a community by improving air and water quality, reducing stormwater runoff, and adding to the visual appeal of a neighborhood. As an added benefit, according to the National Wildlife Federation, research demonstrates that exposure to trees has a relaxing effect on humans, reducing stress and impacting a sense of well-being, benefits we know many customers could take advantage of as the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic continue.  In fact, since 2012, Atlantic City Electric customers have planted more than 13,350 trees, removing close to 204,000 lbs. of air pollutants from the atmosphere.

As always, and especially with so many people at home due to COVID-19, anyone planning to plant energy saving trees must call 811 a few days before beginning their dig to have utility-owned underground lines marked. Taking the right steps before digging will help avoid accidental damage to underground lines that could disrupt services to surrounding neighbors and prevent potential injury from striking an underground electric, natural gas or other utility line. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811.

We encourage our customers to share a photo of themselves planting their tree or of their planted tree with us on social media, using the hashtag #ACEPlantsTrees.