Delmarva Power to provide 1,150 free trees to customers

Delmarva Power is providing 1,150 free trees to its residential customers through the Energy-Saving Trees program, which helps customers conserve energy and reduce household energy bills through strategic tree planting. For customers to reserve one free tree per household, go to www.arborday.org/delmarva or call 855-670-2772. Customers should have their Delmarva Power account number handy when ordering the free tree.

The one-gallon, four-foot potted tree will be delivered directly to customers while supplies last. Available tree species include American beech, bald cypress, river birch and white dogwood.

"We're excited to continue our support of the Energy-Saving Trees program. For the past six years, this initiative has allowed our customers to proactively protect and beautify the environment within our service territory," said Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva Power region president. "This program can also help our customers save money on their air-conditioning expenses since trees provide shade for the home in the summer months."

Shade trees can reduce residential cooling costs by as much as 20 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 1,150 trees are estimated to produce nearly $250,000 in energy savings within 20 years.

The Energy-Saving Trees online tool assists Delmarva Power customers in finding the most strategic location for planting and estimates the annual savings. For technical help for customers, call 855-670-2772. 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.

Delmarva Power reminds customers to call 811 to have utility-owned underground lines marked before digging. One free call to 811 connects to Miss Utility, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of intent to dig. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. For more information, go to www.delmarva.com.